Correct use of statins could prevent 12,000 strokes a year
HALF of people who are eligible for statins are not prescribed the drug in a “missed opportunity” which is contributing to 12,000 needless strokes a year, a study has shown.
Around one third of strokes could be prevented in Britain annually if cholesterol-busting pills, anti-clotting drugs and medication to lower blood pressure were prescribed as intended.
Current recommendations by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence suggest that anyone with a 20 per cent risk of developing cardiovascular disease in the next 10 years should take statins. But research by the University of Birmingham found that just 49 per cent of those eligible were prescribed the drugs.
Similarly only 48 per cent of people with an irregular heartbeat were offered anticoagulants to prevent blood clotting while one in four patients with high blood pressure were not given pills to help.
Dr Grace Turner, from the University of Birmingham, said: “These findings suggest a number of missed opportunities to reduce the incidence of strokes.
“The next step for us is to build on this exploratory study and investigate the reasons for under-prescribing, with a view to developing an intervention that can help to bridge the gap. It’s worth noting that there are instances where not prescribing may be the correct approach. For example, there are elderly patients who may be frail and have multiple significant comorbidities who wouldn’t be suitable, and there are patients who actively take part in the decision to not prescribe.”
The team searched electronic medical records from more than 500 UK general practices. They identified every patient who suffered a first stroke or a mini-stroke between January 2009 and December 2013.
They then looked at how many were known to be at high risk, due to high blood pressure, cardiovascular disease or irregular heartbeat.
Of the 29,043 patients who had suffered a first stroke or mini-stroke, some 17,680 should have been prescribed either drugs to lower blood pressure, a statin, or drugs to prevent blood clots.
The researchers estimate that approximately 12,000 first strokes could be prevented in the UK each year through optimal prescribing of the drugs. And the situation could be even worse because not all people who are prescribed drugs actually take them.
The research was published in the journal PLOS Medicine.
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