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THURSDAY, June 14, 2018 (HealthDay News) — African-Americans are less likely than whites to be treated with statins or to receive a statin at guideline-recommended intensity, according to a study published online June 13 in JAMA Cardiology<\/i>.<\/p>\n
Michael G. Nanna, M.D., from the Duke University Medical Center in Durham, N.C., and colleagues examined differences in statin use between white and African-American patients using the 2015 Patient and Provider Assessment of Lipid Management (PALM) Registry.<\/p>\n
Overall, 5,689 patients in the PALM Registry were eligible to receive statin therapy. The researchers found that compared with whites, African-Americans were less likely to be treated with a statin (70.6 versus 74.8 percent). Among those treated, the likelihood of receiving a statin at guideline-recommended intensity was lower for African-American versus white individuals (33.3 versus 43.9 percent; relative risk, 1.07 after adjustment for demographic and clinical factors). For patients receiving treatment, the median low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels were higher among African-Americans than white individuals (97 versus 85 mg\/dL). Compared with white individuals, African-Americans were less likely to believe that statins were safe or effective and were less likely to trust their clinician. After adjustment for demographic, clinical, and clinician factors; socioeconomic status; and patient beliefs, the group differences in statin undertreatment were not significant.<\/p>\n
“Demographic, clinical, socioeconomic, belief-related, and clinician differences contributed to observed differences and represent potential targets for intervention,” the authors write.<\/p>\n
Several authors disclosed financial ties to pharmaceutical companies, including Sanofi and Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, both of which partially funded the PALM Registry.<\/p>\n
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