Document Type

Article

Publication Date

5-6-2023

Comments

This article is the author's final published version in the American Journal of Preventative Cardiology, Volume 14, June 2023, Article number 100499.

The published version is available at https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ajpc.2023.100499. Copyright © 2023 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier B.V.

Abstract

Background

Effective control of risk factors in patients with ASCVD is important to reduce recurrent cardiovascular events. However, many ASCVD patients do not have their risk factors controlled, and this may have worsened during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Methods

We retrospectively evaluated risk factor control among 24,760 ASCVD patients who had at least 1 outpatient encounter both pre-pandemic and during the first year of the pandemic. Risk factors were uncontrolled if the blood pressure (BP) ≥ 130/80 mm Hg, LDL-C ≥ 70 mg/dL, HgbA1c ≥ 7 for diabetic patients, and patients were current smokers.

Results

During the pandemic, many patients had their risk factors unmonitored. BP control worsened (BP ≥ 130/80 mmHg, 64.2 vs 65.7%; p = 0.01), while lipid management improved with more patients on a high-intensity statin (38.9 vs 43.9%; p<0.001) and more achieving an LDL-C < 70 mg/dL, less patients were smoking (7.4 vs 6.7%; p<0.001), and diabetic control was unchanged pre vs during the pandemic. Black (OR 1.53 [1.02–2.31]) and younger aged patients (OR 1.008 [1.001–1.015]) were significantly more likely to have missing or uncontrolled risk factors during the pandemic.

Conclusions

During the pandemic risk factors were more likely to be unmonitored. While measured blood pressure control worsened, lipid control and smoking improved. Although some cardiovascular risk factor control improved during the COVID-19 pandemic, overall control of cardiovascular risk factors in patients with ASCVD was suboptimal, especially in Black and younger patients. This puts many ASCVD patients at increased risk of a recurrent cardiovascular event.

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.

Language

English

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