Impact of ACC/AHA Guidelines on Statin Prescribing in At-Risk Patients With HIV

The 2018 American College of Cardiology (ACC)/American Heart Association (AHA) guideline update that
recommended statin use for primary cardiovascular disease (CVD) prevention among people with HIV
increased the number of statin prescriptions in this group, although many eligible patients were still
not prescribed these agents, according to findings published in Preventive Medicine Reports. Rohit
P. Ojha, DrPH, FACE, and colleagues examined data for 251 people with HIV aged 40-75 (82% male) who were
engaged in HIV care and had LDL cholesterol from 70-189 mg/dl, a 10-year atherosclerotic CVD (ASCVD) risk
score of 7.5% or higher, no prior statin use, and no history of diabetes or ASCVD. The standardized
12-month statin prescription risk was 19% before and 43% after the guideline change. While the guidelines
increased statin prescriptions for people with HIV, a sizable number of eligible patients were not
prescribed one. “Future studies are needed to identify strategies to enhance implementation of statin
prescription guidelines among [people with HIV],” Dr. Ojha and colleagues wrote.