New research recently presented at an international conference show how women are prescribed cholesterol lowering drugs less often than men
Medical science has known for some time now that statins – cholesterol lowering drugs – can be lifesaving. Yet, shockingly, research presented recently at the scientific congress of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) showed that women are less often treated with statins than men are.
Medical guidelines lay down that statins should be prescribed to all patients who have a history of coronary artery disease and that guidance is gender neutral. Previous studies have shown that while the target “healthy” cholesterol levels for men and women are the same, women are less likely to meet them. The retrospective observational study included 1,037 men and 415 women with a chronic coronary syndrome diagnosed between 2012 and 2020. None of them had ever had a heart attack.
The median age for men was 68 years and that for women was 70 years. Data on cholesterol levels were obtained from their electronic medical records while the Swedish National Prescribed Drug Registry information was used to chart what medications they were on. Participants were followed up for three years following their diagnosis. The researchers found that at the end of the third year of follow-up, just 54% of women were treated with cholesterol-lowering drugs compared with 74% of men. Additionally, 5% of women were treated with statin plus ezetimibe compared with 8% of men. Factors which may explain the observed sex differences are under further investigation by the research group.
Study author Dr. Nina Johnston of Uppsala University, Sweden said: “Our findings should be a wake-up call about the undertreatment of women with heart disease. Equal prescribing practices are needed so that women receive all recommended therapies and are protected from adverse outcomes.”
