Statins in diseases of the peripheral arteries: are the clinical recommendations being followed?

Peripheral artery disease (PAD) is a manifestation of systemic atherosclerosis and is associated with high mortality due to cardiovascular events. Since lipid-lowering therapy has proven effective in the treatment of patients with PAD, current clinical guidelines regulate statin treatment for all patients with PAD. However, in real clinical practice, the administration of statins in this category of patients is clearly insufficient.

The purpose of this study was to study compliance with current clinical recommendations on the frequency of statin prescribing in various regimens among patients with PAD who sought medical help in a specialized hospital.

It has been shown that in real clinical practice, the administration of statins does not comply with current clinical recommendations, and the desired low-density lipoproteins targets are not achieved in a significant number of patients. It is necessary to raise awareness among doctors of various specialties about the need for early diagnosis and treatment of PAD in accordance with clinical recommendations, especially in the absence of coronary heart disease and other atherosclerosis-associated diseases. When diagnosed with PAD, the patient should start taking statins in the most tolerable doses with the most effective drugs.