Evaluation of target LDL levels and influencing factors in patients usi̇g statins

ABSTRACT Çiçekli, A. Evaluation of Target LDL Levels and Influencing Factors in Patients Using Statins. Eskişehir Osmangazi University Faculty of Medicine ,Department of Family Medicine ,Specialization Thesis, Eskişehir, 2025.Cardiovasculer diseases are one of leading causes of mortality and morbidity worldwide.According to WHO data 33,4 % of global deaths are due to CVD and related complications.Based on etiological findings , there is a lo-lineer relationship between the total LDL-C cholesterol burden on the vasculer endothelium and atherosclerosis.In our study, we included 334 patients who had been using statins for at least six months to determine how often the target LDL-C levels recommended by guidelines were achieved. We found that only 12,9 % of the participants reached the target LDL values. Additionally, when we examined the presence of diseases that could cause dyslipidemia, we found that 30,2 % had obesity, 18,0 % had hypothyroidism, 6,9 % had rheumatological diseases and 0,9 % had nehrotic syndrome. Furthermore, 19,7% of the participants reported still smoking, and 42,8 % exercised only once a week for 30 minutes. We found that detailed evaluation of patients exercise habits and measures to improve their exercise capacity could be beneficial in achieving the target LDL values.Despite not reaching the target LDL values, %23,7 % of the patients were using only high-intensity doses of medication and 94,9 % of our participants were using additional lipid-lowering agents alongside statins.We found that in particularly Very High and Risky groups , the intensity of statin therapy could be increased , and in some cases where monotherapy is not sufficient, the addition of Ezetimibe and PCSK-9 inhibitors to statin therapy could be considered.We also evaluated that 4,8 % of the patients were not regularly taking their mediication due to negative comments they heard about drugs ,and in this context we believe that physicians informing their patients about misinformation regarding this issue could be helpful in preventing this situation.