Updated cholesterol guidelines and intensity of statin therapy

Background In November 2013, the American College of Cardiology and the American Heart Association released new cholesterol guidelines. Implications of these new guidelines for statin prescription remain uncertain, particularly in individuals already on statin therapy. Objective Our objective was to examine the impact of the guidelines on the intensity of statin therapy at a large academic medical center. Methods We queried the electronic health record at the University of Pennsylvania Health System to evaluate current practice patterns at a large academic institution in patients already on statin therapy. Results Among 40,036 statin-treated patients, 47% of patients may warrant an intensification of statin therapy according to the updated national cholesterol guidelines. Conclusions These findings highlight the magnitude of potential changes in statin prescription patterns favoring higher potency statin therapy, a sizable shift that parallels the predicted increase in statin initiation.