Background and Aims

EUROASPIRE V was carried out by the ESC-EORP programme, aiming to

determine whether the 2016 Joint European Societies’ guidelines on cardiovascular

disease (CVD) prevention for management of LDL-cholesterol in people at high risk

of developing CVD have been implemented in clinical practice

Methods

A cross-sectional survey in 78 centres from 16 European countries. Patients

without a history of atherosclerotic disease either started on blood pressure and/or

lipid and/or glucose lowering treatments were identified and interviewed at least six

months after the start of medication.

Results

2,759 patients (57.6% women; mean age 59.0±11.6 years) were interviewed.

The LDL-cholesterol control was poor with more than half (53.1%) of patients (men

45.2%, women 59.9%) having LDL-cholesterol ≥2.6 mmol/L (≥100 mg/mL). In this

group, 97.3% were on statins, 2.9 % on fibrates and 0.4% on other lipid-lowering

drugs. Less than half (45.3%) of patients on lipid-lowering medication had been

informed of their cholesterol levels and less than a third (29.9%) were aware of their

target. Furthermore, more than four-fifths (81%) of the patients on no lipid-lowering

medication had a LDL-cholesterol ≥2.6 mmol/L (men 77.5%, women 83.3%).

Conclusions

The results of the EUROASPIRE V survey revealed poor LDL-cholesterol in people

at high risk of developing CVD with just two-fifths of patients on lipid-lowering

medication achieving the recommended target. The lipid control is better in men than

in women. There is considerable potential throughout Europe to improve the lipid

management in patients at high CVD risk in order to reduce the risk of future CVD