Only a fraction of patients with ischaemic diseases or diabetes are treated to recommended target values for plasma lipids.

Introduction: We tested the hypothesis that individuals in the general population with and without ischaemic cardiovascular disease, or with diabetes, are treated to recommended target values for plasma lipids.
Material and Methods: We used the Copenhagen General Population Study in which 69,354 individuals were examined cross-sectionally from 2004 through 2010. Among this population, 1,521 had previously had myocardial infarction, 2,372 other ischaemic heart disease, 542 ischaemic stroke, 2,086 claudicatio intermittens and 2,155 had diabetes.
Results: The fraction of participants using lipid-lowering therapy among those with myocardial infarction was 70%, other ischaemic heart disease 44%, ischaemic stroke 60%, claudicatio intermittens 33%, diabetes 48%, and for those without ischaemic cardiovascular disease 8%. Among those with myocardial infarction with and without lipid-lowering therapy, 41% and 84%, respectively, had not reached a total cholesterol < 4.5 mmol/l, 30% and 79%, respectively, had not reached a low-density lipoprotein cholesterol < 2.5 mmol/l, and 46% and 48%, respectively, had not reached triglycerides < 1.7 mmol/l. In those with other ischaemic cardiovascular disease, with diabetes or without ischaemic cardiovascular disease, a similar or larger fraction of individuals did not reach guideline lipid targets.
Conclusion: Large fractions of individuals with ischaemic cardiovascular disease or diabetes are not treated with lipid-lowering therapy. Even among many of those treated, plasma total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol and triglycerides are not treated to guideline targets.