2023 ACC Poster Data

Family Heart Foundation Real-World Analysis Reveals Majority of Americans at High Risk of Stroke and Heart Attack Remain Under-Treated

Findings to be Presented at ACC Scientific Sessions Highlight Life-Threatening Gaps in Treatment

NEW ORLEANS, Feb. 28, 2023 – According to a new study from the Family Heart Foundation, a leading research and advocacy organization, 72.2% of high-risk hypercholesterolemia patients never achieve the low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (LDL-C) thresholds recommended in the 2018 American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association Guideline on the Management of Blood Cholesterol. This may be due to a lack of physician prescribing, insurance coverage and patient follow through, despite the known risk of cardiovascular disease. Based on real-world data from an analysis of the Family Heart DatabaseTM of more than 300 million Americans, the findings will be highlighted in a poster presentation at the American College of Cardiology 2023 Conference on March 4, 2023 at 12:45 pm at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center in New Orleans (Poster Hall – Hall F).

2023 ACC Poster Data

Findings to be Presented at ACC Scientific Sessions Highlight Life-Threatening Gaps in Treatment

“This study provides us with a clear view of the poor state of LDL-cholesterol management for high-risk individuals in the United States,” said Mary P. McGowan, M.D., Chief Medical Officer, Family Heart Foundation, and co-author of the study. “Despite the availability of safe and effective lipid-lowering therapies, only 28% of high-risk patients ever reach below guideline LDL-C thresholds, which further elevates these patients’ risks for atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) events, such as heart attacks and stroke.”
Titled “72% of High-Risk Hypercholesterolemia Patients Never Reach Below ACC/AHA Guideline LDL-C Thresholds,” the observational study assessed achievement of LDL-C below thresholds in 38,110,734 high-risk patients.

Findings to be Presented at ACC Scientific Sessions Highlight Life-Threatening Gaps in Treatment

Key findings from the study show:
  • Only 27.8% of all high-risk patients ever reached below-guideline LDL-C thresholds.
  • For those with episodes below LDL-C thresholds, mean duration of each episode was 158.8 days.
  • 79.5% of clinicians never prescribed combination cholesterol-lowering medications though the guideline provides direction and rational for doing so.
  • Only 2.2% of high-risk patients received combination cholesterol-lowering medications.

Findings to be Presented at ACC Scientific Sessions Highlight Life-Threatening Gaps in Treatment

The Family Heart Database is comprised of real-world diagnostic, procedural, and prescription data from claims and/or laboratory information in the U.S. from 2012 to 2021.
The poster will be available for viewing throughout the Congress in the Poster Hall – Hall F. In addition, the Family Heart Foundation will be discussing the implications of this research for the American public at a multistakeholder roundtable in New Orleans with key opinion leaders in cardiology and public health.

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