Prospective, Pharmacoepidemiologic Study of Prescribing Patterns for Lipid Lowering Drugs at a Tertiary Care Teaching Hospital in East India

Background: The guidelines for management of dyslipidemia released by the US National Cholesterol Education Program (NCEP) have been in use throughout the world. But South Asian Indian populations are reported to have significantly different lipoprotein parameters and atherogenic risk factors than Western populations. Even now there is paucity of data regarding the drug use pattern of the lipid lowering drugs in India. Objective: The aim of this study was to determine current prescribing patterns for lipid-lowering drugs (LLDs) adopted by physicians in East India. Methods: This prospective, non-interventional, uncontrolled, open-chart, pharmaco-epidemiologic study was conducted from June 2010 to May 2011 at a tertiary rare hospital in East India and included 200 dyslipidemic patients. The pattern of prescribing LLDs was recorded, along with the serum levels of lipid parameters – total cholesterol (TC), triglycerides (TG), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) – at the time of initiating LLD therapy. Results: Males above 40 years were predominantly prescribed (89.5%) lipid lowering (LLDs) drugs. Advice regarding life style modification was included in only 18% of prescriptions. The ratio of prescribing LLDs for primary and secondary prevention of coronary artery disease was 1:1.15. The LLDs prescribed were statins (80.5%) and fibrates (14.5%). The mean (SD) values of lipid parameters in the study population showed high total cholesterol, LDL-C, borderline high triglyceride as per the NCEP guidelines as follows: total cholesterol (TC): 233.54±21.5, LDL cholesterol (LDL-C): 149.65±25.6, triglycerides (TG): 216.062±34.5 and HDL cholesterol (HDL-C): 39.904±5.5. Conclusions: The prescribing patterns of the lipid lowering drugs (LLDs) was in accordance with the specific recommendations made for the South Asian Indian populations, as well as with the 2001 NCEP – III guidelines.