Statins for secondary prevention: clinical use in patients with acute coronary syndrome in Wales

Aim: Statins have a proven role for the secondary prevention of cardiovascular disease. Despite this, typical patient use in real life is variable. Our aim was to investigate the typical clinical use, including adherence, for statins in a sample population in South Wales (UK). Methods: We identified 2248 patients admitted to hospitals in South Wales with acute coronary syndrome using a retrospective 3-year-long longitudinal study. We performed data linkage using the Secure Anonymized Information Linkage databank. Results & conclusion: In total, 1806 (80.3%) of patients were initiated on statins at discharge, with simvastatin being most common. Only 38% of patients were on high-intensity dosage. There was minimal change in cholesterol levels, with discontinuation rates of 53.7 and 84.3% at 1- and 3-year follow-up, respectively