ONE third of patients fail to reach recommended cholesterol levels, according to a new survey. The survey looked at responses from 150 Australian GPs and found that 34% of their patients were not achieving recommended cholesterol targets. Despite this only 57% of GPs said that they were very likely to prescribe second-line lipid lowering medications. “In order to reach and maintain ideal targets we need to evaluate the strategies we have available which may include titrating dose, switching to another statin or using a combined therapy,” said research advisor, Dr Chrys Michaelides. “By aiming for the right therapy and response first time this will help to minimise multiple timeconsuming steps on the way to achieving required LDL-C reductions,” he added. Interesting figures also revealed in the survey include the fact that 83% of GPs reported that patient compliance with dietary and lifestyle advice hindered their ability to get their high-risk patients to target. Patient adherence was also cited as an issue for medications with 71% of GPs saying that patient adherence to lipid lowering therapies was a major problem.
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