LAUSR

Measurements of lipid levels are frequently used to assess the risk of developing cardiovascular disease (CVD), including future myocardium infarction (MI) and ischemic stroke. Lipoprotein(a) [Lp(a)] has been established as an independent risk factor for developing CVD, however it is not widely measured. This real-world study assessed the distribution of lipid (Total Cholesterol [TC], low-density cholesterol [LDL-C], high-density cholesterol [HDL-C] and Triglycerides [TGs]) levels across different Lp(a) strata of patients with established CVD and at least one Lp(a) assessment. This was a descriptive, non-interventional, retrospective cohort study of patients with established CVD and at least one Lp(a) assessment in the Optum® de-identified Electronic Health Record dataset (2007–2019). The index date was defined as the date of the first established CVD (MI, ischemic stroke or peripheral artery disease diagnosis) in the identification period (1/1/2008–30/6/2018) following one-year continuous enrollment. Patients were followed for up to one year, until death or transfer out of the dataset, whichever occurred first. 5,434 patients (55.5% males) with established CVD and at least one Lp(a) assessment having a mean (SD) age of 62.5 (12.6) years were evaluated. During the 12 months pre-index period, 49.9%, 46.1%, 48.1% and 49.8% of these patients had a measurement of TC, LDL-C, HDL-C and TGs, respectively. Overall, the mean (SD) TC, LDL-C, HDL-C and TGs levels were 182.1 (47.0) mg/dL [n=2,712], 102.6 (40.1) mg/dL [n=2,503], 52.7 (16.7) mg/dL [n=2,614], and 140.3 (108.8) mg/dL [n=2,707], respectively. More than half of these patients were treated with at least one lipid lowering drug (includes statins, ezetimibe, fibrates, niacin or PCSK9is) during the pre-index period. The mean (SD) levels of TC, LDL-C, HDL-C and TG in patients with Lp(a) <30 mg/dL, 30–50] mg/dL, 50–70 mg/dL, 70–90 mg/dL and ≥90 mg/dL are presented in Figure 1. Overall, no trends in the levels of total cholesterol, LDL-C, HDL-C or triglycerides were observed across increasing levels of lipoprotein(a). These findings suggest the measurement of lipoprotein(a) is required to ensure a complete characterization of a patient lipid profile. Type of funding source: Private company. Main funding source(s): Novartis Pharma AG