Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2004 Nov;58(5):528-35.
doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2125.2004.02202.x.

Association between adherence to statin therapy and lipid control in Hong Kong Chinese patients at high risk of coronary heart disease

Caroline W R Cheng  1 , Kam-Sang Woo, Juliana C N Chan, Brian Tomlinson, Joyce H S You
Affiliations

Association between adherence to statin therapy and lipid control in Hong Kong Chinese patients at high risk of coronary heart disease

Caroline W R Cheng et al. Br J Clin Pharmacol. 2004 Nov.

Abstract

Aims: To examine the pattern of adherence to statin therapy and to determine the association of adherence to statin therapy and the control of serum low-density lipoprotein (LDL)-cholesterol in a cohort of Hong Kong Chinese patients at high risk of coronary heart disease (CHD).

Methods: This was a prospective observational cohort study conducted at the outpatient clinics of a public teaching hospital in Hong Kong. Patients at high risk of CHD who had been initiated on statin monotherapy for < 12 months were recruited. The statin prescription was dispensed in a bottle with the Medication Event Monitoring System (MEMS). Adherence was assessed in two dimensions: dose-count was defined as the percentage of doses taken, and dose-time was defined as the percentage of doses taken within the suggested time interval. Lipid profiles were obtained at baseline and during two follow-up visits at month 3 and month 6.

Results: Eighty-three patients completed the study. The median adherence to dose-count and to dose-time were 95% (25-75th percentile = 87-99%) and 78% (25-75th percentile = 17-92%), respectively. Both dose-count and dose-time adherence declined slightly over the first 6 months of therapy. Living with family [relative risk (RR) = 0.79, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.63, 0.91] and duration of therapy (RR = 0.99, 95% CI 0.98, 1.00) were negative predictors while number of family members (among those living with family) (RR = 1.05, 95% CI 1.00, 1.08) was a positive predictor for adherence to dose-count. Monthly household income (RR = 1.01, 95% CI 1.00, 1.02) and angina (RR = 1.29, 95% CI 1.05, 1.58) were positive predictors while living with family (RR = 0.74, 95% CI 0.55, 0.90) was a negative predictor for dose-time adherence. Percent reduction in serum LDL-cholesterol was correlated to dose-count (P < 0.001) and dose-time (P = 0.047) adherence. Statistically significant correlations were observed between adherence to dose-count and LDL reduction (R(2) = 0.130; P = 0.001), and between dose-time adherence and LDL reduction (R(2) = 0.048; P = 0.047).

Conclusion: High adherence to statin therapy was found in a cohort of Chinese patients at high risk of CHD and the adherence declined slightly over time. A weak association between adherence to statin dose-count and LDL reduction and a marginal association between dose-time adherence and LDL reduction were observed.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Dose count (formula image), dose time (□)
Figure 2
Figure 2
Dose-time (--×--), dose-count (–▴–)
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Chan WK, Chui A, Ko GTC, et al. Ten-year cardiovascular risk in a Hong Kong population. J Cardiovasc Risk. 1999;6:163–9. - PubMed
    1. [3 November 2003]. Website: Government of Hong Kong, SAR, China. http://www.info.gov.hk/dh/diseases/index.htm.
    1. Fu FH. The prevalence of cardiovascular disease risk factors of Hong Kong Chinese. J Sports Med Phys Fitness. 2001;41:491–9. - PubMed
    1. Lipid Research Clinic Program. The Lipid Research Clinics Coronary Primary Prevention Trial Results. (I) Reduction in Incidence of Coronary Heart Disease; (II) the relationship of reduction in incidence of coronary heart disease to cholesterol lowering. JAMA. 1984;251:351–74. - PubMed
    1. Downs JR, Clearfield M, Weis S, et al. for the AFCAPS/TexCAPS Research Group. Primary prevention of acute coronary events with lovastatin in men and women with average cholesterol levels: results of AFCAPS/TexCAPS. JAMA. 1998;279:1615–22. - PubMed

MeSH terms