A significant association exists between statin adherence and ischemic and hemorrhagic stroke risk, hence it is necessary to stick to statin therapy, according to a recent study published in the Nutrition, Metabolism and Cardiovascular Diseases.
The effectiveness of statins commonly used to prevent a stroke may depend on adherence to treatment. The researchers examined the association between statin adherence and stroke risk among South Korean adults with hyperlipidemia.
The data of 128,052 and 129,390 participants with hyperlipidemia for studying the risks of ischemic and hemorrhagic stroke, respectively, were collected from the Korean National Health Insurance Service-National Sample Cohort between 2002 and 2013. Participants were divided into groups according to statin adherence, calculated as the proportion of days covered (PDC; poor, moderate, good). The risk of ischemic and hemorrhagic stroke was analyzed using a Cox proportional hazards model.
The results of the study are as follows:
Individuals with poor PDC exhibited higher risks of ischemic and hemorrhagic stroke than those with good PDC (ischemic stroke: hazard ratio [HR]=1.09, 95% confidence interval [CI] =1.03–1.15, hemorrhagic stroke: HR=1.37, 95% CI=1.22–1.54). Women with poor PDC were at higher risk of ischemic stroke than those with good PDC (HR=1.17, 95% CI=1.09–1.26), while men with poor PDC exhibited a higher risk of hemorrhagic stroke than those with good PDC (HR=1.55, 95% CI=1.27–1.90). Individuals with disabilities who had poor PDC were at higher risk of ischemic stroke than those with good PDC (HR=1.55, 95% CI=1.24–1.93).
Thus, the researchers concluded that they detected a significant association between statin adherence and ischemic and hemorrhagic stroke risk. Therefore, hyperlipidemia patients should adhere to statin treatment; such interventions are required to reduce the stroke risk.
Reference:
Association between statin adherence and the risk of stroke among South Korean adults with hyperlipidemia by Wonjeong Jeong et al. published in the Nutrition, Metabolism and Cardiovascular Diseases.
https://www.nmcd-journal.com/article/S0939-4753(21)00569-X/fulltext?rss=yes