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. 2024 Jun 11:11:138-147.
doi: 10.33393/grhta.2024.2731. eCollection 2024 Jan-Dec.

Differenze di genere e ipercolesterolemia: evidenze real-world dallo studio WECARE (Women Effective CArdiovascular Risk Evaluation)

[Article in Italian]
Valentina Perrone  1 , Gerardo Medea  2 , Stefano Urbinati  3 , Diego Sangiorgi  1 , Luca Degli Esposti  1 ; Healthcare bodies group
Affiliations

Differenze di genere e ipercolesterolemia: evidenze real-world dallo studio WECARE (Women Effective CArdiovascular Risk Evaluation)

[Article in Italian]
Valentina Perrone et al. Glob Reg Health Technol Assess. .

Abstract

Introduction:: The therapeutic control of LDL-cholesterol is essential in cardiovascular prevention, as recommended by the recent guidelines.

Objective:: To evaluate gender differences in terms of demographic and clinical characteristics, treatment pattern, treatment adherence and healthcare costs in patients on lipid-lowering therapy, stratified by cardiovascular risk in the Italian real clinical practice.

Methods:: An observational analysis was conducted on the administrative databases of healthcare institutions, covering about 6.1 million health-assisted subjects. After inclusion of all patients on lipid-lowering therapy between January 2017 and June 2020, the population was investigated in the period before the first prescription of a lipid-lowering drug and followed-up for at least 12 months. Clinical and demographic variables were compared after stratification by gender and by cardiovascular risk (very high/high/other risk). The main outcome measures were treatment adherence and direct healthcare costs during follow-up.

Results:: Of the 684,829 patients with high/very high cardiovascular risk, 337,394 were men and 347,435 women, aged on average 69.3 years and 72.1 years, respectively (p < 0.001). Men were characterised by a worse comorbidity profile. Regardless of cardiovascular risk, female subjects were associated with larger utilisation of low-potency statins and lower adherence (p < 0.001). The annual healthcare costs per patient during follow-up were higher in men than in women (p < 0.001).

Conclusions:: The results highlighted larger utilisation of low-potency statins, a lower adherence and a milder comorbidity profile in women, the latter feasibly explaining the reduced healthcare costs compared to men.

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Figures

FIGURE 1 -
FIGURE 1 -
Rappresentazione schematica della timeline dell’analisi.
FIGURE 2 -
FIGURE 2 -
Differenze tra i sessi (A) nella distribuzione degli schemi terapeutici ipolipemizzanti e (B) nei livelli di aderenza al trattamento espressa come PDC, proportion of days covered (i pazienti si definiscono aderenti se PDC ≥ 80%). Totale pazienti: 856.334.
FIGURE 3 -
FIGURE 3 -
Differenze tra i sessi nei pazienti stratificati per profilo di rischio cardiovascolare (A) nella distribuzione degli schemi terapeutici ipolipemizzanti e (B) nella percentuale di pazienti aderenti (PDC ≥ 80%). Popolazione considerata: 684.829 pazienti.
FIGURE 4 -
FIGURE 4 -
Costi sanitari diretti per paziente per genere: (A) al primo anno di follow-up (B) sull’intero periodo di follow-up (annualizzati).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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