Determinants of cholesterol goal attainment at 12 months in patients with hypercholesterolaemia not at consensus goal after 3 months of treatment with lipid-lowering drugs

Background: Less than half of patients in Scandinavian societies achieve target cholesterol values established by consensus coronary prevention panels. Methods and results: Using logistic regression analysis, we determined that patients not at consensus cholesterol goals after 3 months of treatment using lipid-lowering medications were significantly more likely to achieve these goals at 12 months if they were treated with an active management strategy (changes in lipid-lowering therapy within 3 months), had a diagnosis of diabetes mellitus, or initiated lipid-lowering more recently, compared with their counterparts without these factors. Conclusion: An active management strategy is associated with a higher probability of achieving treatment goals in patients not at goal after 3 months following treatment initiation.