RESUMO
INTRODUCTION: Atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) is the leading cause of mortality in Italy, accounting for 22% of total deaths. Lowering low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) levels reduces the risk of cardiovascular (CV) events; thus, lipid-lowering therapy (LLT) is the first-line treatment for patients with ASCVD and hypercholesterolaemia. However, many patients with ASCVD fail to reach LDL-C treatment thresholds, leaving them at greater risk of CV events. Inpatient care accounts for 51% of total expenditure on cardiovascular disease in the European Union, but healthcare resource utilization (HCRU) data for ASCVD in Italy is limited. METHODS: The study analysed healthcare claims data for 17,881 patients with acute coronary syndrome, ischemic stroke or peripheral artery disease from the Umbria 2 and Marche regions of Italy. LLT treatment patterns and CV event rates were collected and HCRU estimated in the year before and after the index event. RESULTS: High-intensity LLTs were prescribed to 44.3% of patients and 49.6% received moderate-/low-intensity LLTs during the 6 months after the index event. The first year CV event rate was 18.0/100 patient-years for patients receiving high-intensity LLTs and 17.2/100 patient-years for those on moderate-/low-intensity LLTs. Higher costs were associated with patients untreated with LLT 6 months post-index event (8323) than patients prescribed high-intensity (6278) or moderate-/low-intensity LLTs (6270). Hospitalization accounted for most of the total costs. CONCLUSIONS: This study found that CV events in secondary prevention Italian patients are associated with substantial HCRU and costs. More intensive LDL-C lowering can prevent CV events, easing the financial burden on the healthcare system.