Management of Dyslipidemia in Women and Men with Coronary Heart Disease: Results from POLASPIRE Study

Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are the leading cause of death in Poland. Starting from 1992, a gradual decrease in mortality due to CVDs has been observed, which is less noticeable in women. Following this notion, we assessed sex differences in the implementation of ESC recommendations regarding lipid control and the use of statins as part of secondary CVDs prevention in 1236 patients with acute coronary syndrome or elective coronary revascularization within the last 6-24 months. During hospitalization women had more frequently abnormal TC levels than men (<i>p</i> = 0.035), with overall higher TC levels (<i>p</i> = 0.009) and lower HDL-C levels (<i>p</i> = 0.035). In the oldest group, they also had more frequently elevated LDL-C levels (<i>p</i> = 0.033). Similar relationships were found during the follow-up visit. In addition, women less often achieved the secondary lipid therapeutic goal for non-HDL-C (<i>p</i> = 0.009). At discharge from hospital women were less frequently prescribed statins (<i>p</i> = 0.001), which included high-intensity statins (<i>p</i> = 0.002). At the follow-up visit the use of high-intensity statins was still less frequent in women (<i>p</i> = 0.02). We conclude that women generally have less optimal lipid profiles than men and are less likely to receive high-intensity statins. There is a need for more organized care focused on the management of risk factors.