Use of Statins as Lipid Lowering Agent in Hypercholesterolemia in a Tertiary Care Hospital: A Descriptive Cross-sectional Study

Abstract

Introduction: Lipids contribute to atherosclerosis and obesity that can lead to different cardiovascular diseases. Statins are hydroxymethylglutaryl reductase inhibitors that effectively lower the cholesterol level. It is widely prescribed in the treatment of hypercholesterolemia. Thus it optimizes the lipoprotein profile. The selection of a particular drug by the practitioner should be primarily based on clinical outcome. This study was conducted to find the type of statins that are most preferred by the doctors for treating dyslipidemia and preferred the fixed-dose in a tertiary care hospital.

Methods: This was a descriptive cross-sectional study conducted among the practicing doctors of Kathmandu Medical College from July to August 2020. Ethical approval was taken from the Institutional Review Committee of the college (Ref: 207202006). Convenient sampling was done. A semi-structured questionnaire was used with consent. The data were analyzed with Social Statistical Package for the Social Sciences version 20.

Results: Statins, with the score 4.25 was accounted for most preferred for the treatment of dyslipidemia. Among different statins, atorvastatin with a score of 4.48 was most popular followed by rosuvastatin 2.9 score and simvastatin 2.1 scores.

Conclusions: Statins were the most preferred agents for the treatment of dyslipidemia. Although different types of statins ought to have similar efficacy in treating dyslipidemia, atorvastatin was found to be popular and the most commonly prescribed one. The most common side effect reported with statins was myopathy.