Disparities in Residual Risk in Patients Receiving Statins for Primary or Secondary Prevention at an Integrated Health Care Delivery System

Patients with risk factors for or established atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) remain at high risk for first-time or recurrent nonfatal and fatal events, despite guideline-directed medical therapy for primary and secondary prevention. In fact, even among patients who are appropriately treated with lipid-lowering therapies and have an LDL-C that is at goal and in line with current guideline recommendations, substantial residual risk persists. There is now a considerable body of evidence to suggest that plasma triglycerides contribute to residual risk and play a causal role in atherogenesis and ASCVD risk. Furthermore, older adults, women, and nonwhite participants may have a disproportionately different prevalence of elevated triglyceride levels and be at incrementally greater risk of recurrent ASCVD events. Given the public health implications, it is important to better understand the extent of age-, gender-, and ethnicity/race-related disparities in residual risk.

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