The STatin Adverse Treatment Experience Survey: Experience of patients reporting side effects of statin therapy

• Published in: Journal of clinical lipidology 2019-05, Vol.13 (3), p.415-424
• Main Authors: Jacobson, Terry A., Cheeley, Mary Katherine, Jones, Peter H., La Forge, Ralph, Maki, Kevin C., López, J. Antonio G., Xiang, Pin, Bushnell, Donald M., Martin, Mona L., Cohen, Jerome D.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adherence; Adult; Adverse experience; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Discontinuation of therapy; Female; Humans; Hydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA Reductase Inhibitors - adverse effects; Hypercholesterolemia; Male; Middle Aged; Patient Compliance - statistics & numerical data; Patient's perspective; Patient-reported outcomes; Risk Assessment; Safety; Self Report; Shared decision-making; Statin therapy; Statin-associated symptoms; Surveys and Questionnaires; Symptom impact; Young Adult
• ISSN: 1933-2874; 1876-4789
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jacl.2019.04.011

It is important to understand patients' experiences of statin-associated adverse effects to potentially identify those at risk for stopping treatment. The goal of the STatin Adverse Treatment Experience survey was to describe patients' experiences after reporting ≥1 recent statin-associated adverse event and identify opportunities to improve adherence and outcomes. The survey was developed in 3 stages: qualitative item development, pilot evaluation of initial item performance, and quantitative evaluation using a large commercial sample. Respondents with self-reported high cholesterol who had taken a statin in the past 2 years and experienced ≥1 statin-associated symptom in the past 6 months were included (N = 1500). Mean age was 58 years, 40.3% were men, and 43.2% had tried ≥2 statins. Many had clinical comorbidities associated with increased risk for cardiovascular disease (atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, 22.5%; diabetes, 25.8%; hypertension, 56.0%). The most important patient-reported reasons for continuing current statin therapy (n = 1168; 77.9%) were avoiding a heart attack or stroke, lowering cholesterol, and doctor recommendation. Being bothered by and not being able to tolerate side effects were the main reasons respondents discontinued statins (n = 332; 22.1%). Respondents who discontinued statins reported significantly higher mean Symptom Severity (10.6 vs 8.7, P