Treatment of dyslipidemia with statins by primary care providers in Veterans with and without chronic Hepatitis C.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to describe the current use of statins in United States (US) veterans at W. G. Hefner Veterans Affairs Medical Center (VA Salisbury) with chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) compared to those without chronic HCV and to examine why statin use may be avoided in this population.

METHODS: In this retrospective chart review, eligible participants were veterans enrolled in VA Salisbury primary care services who were at least 18 years of age with a diagnosis of dyslipidemia. Veterans must have had a lipid panel drawn between April 25, 2011 and October 25, 2011. The primary outcome of this study was to determine the prevalence of statin use among US veterans with HCV. A secondary outcome was to determine the proportion of subjects reaching goal LDL levels.

RESULTS: A total of 157 subjects were included in this study. A significant difference in statin use was seen between subjects with and without HCV (54% vs. 83%, p <0.001). Although there were a greater number of subjects on statins in the non-HCV group, there was not a significant difference in the proportion of subjects reaching their LDL goal between the two groups.

CONCLUSION: Among veterans, statins are used less frequently in patients with HCV compared to those without HCV. Both groups had similar achievement of LDL goals, though.