Table 1.
Baseline characteristics of veterans with a severe hypercholesterolemia phenotype by statin intensity (n = 63,576)
| Variable | High intensity | Moderate intensity | Low intensity | No statin | p value |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| n = 5,768 | n = 21,874 | n = 5,208 | n = 30,726 | ||
| Age (years), mean (S.D.) | 56.8(11.4) | 55.7 (11.8) | 55.8 (12.3) | 54.1 (14.0) | <0.001 |
| Women | 644(11.2%) | 2,741 (12.5%) | 834 (16.0%) | 4,334(14.1%) | <0.001 |
| White | 3,602 (66.4%) | 14,169 (70.1%) | 3,480 (72.8%) | 20,550 (72.7%) | <0.001 |
| Black | 1,368 (25.2%) | 4,383 (21.7%) | 909 (19.0%) | 5,282(18.7%) | <0.001 |
| Hispanic | 309(5.7%) | 1,154(5.7%) | 273 (5.7%) | 1,635(5.8%) | <0.001 |
| Asian | 37 (0.7%) | 188 (0.9%) | 38 (0.9%) | 255 (0.9%) | <0.001 |
| Native American | 42 (9.6%) | 136 (31.0%) | 34 (7.7%) | 227 (51.7%) | <0.001 |
| Hypertension | 3,192 (55.3%) | 10,933 (50.0%) | 2,561 (49.2%) | 13,651 (44.4%) | <0.001 |
| Renal disease | 203 (3.5%) | 614 (2.8%) | 139 (2.7%) | 811 (2.6%) | p = 0.003 |
| Prior malignancy | 363 (6.3%) | 1,368 (6.3%) | 334 (6.4%) | 1,892 (6.2%) | p = 0.89 |
| Liver disease | 12 (0.2%) | – 53 (0.2%) | 27 (0.5%) | 218(0.7%) | p = 0.003 |
| Hospitalization 1 year prior | 231 (6.2%) | – 716(6.9%) | 154 (7.0%) | 1,237 (7.9%) | <0.001 |
| Council of teaching hospitals | 2,429 (45.3%) | 9,387(45.8%) | 2,060 (42.3%) | 12,685 (44.3%) | <0.001 |
| Midwest | 1,153 (20.0%) | 4,210 (19.3%) | 1,062 (20.4%) | 6,327 (20.6%) | <0.001 |
| Northeast | 789 (13.7%) | 2,878 (13.2%) | 688 (13.2%) | 12,428 (13.2%) | <0.001 |
| South | 2,636 (45.7%) | 9,622 (44.0%) | 2,223 (42.7%) | 12,428 (40.5%) | <0.001 |
| West | 1,190 (20.6%) | 5,164(23.6%) | 1,235 (23.7%) | 7,921 (25.8%) | <0.001 |
| LDL-C (mg/dl), mean (S.D.) | 213.8 (28.3%) | 208.8 (21.3%) | 206.5 (48.1%) | 207.4 (22.3%) | <0.001 |
LDL-C = low-density lipoprotein cholesterol.
High-intensity statins include atorvastatin 40 to 80 mg or rosuvastatin 20 to 40 mg.
Moderate-intensity statins include atorvastatin 10 to 20 mg, fluvastatin 40 g twice a day or 80mg once a day (extended-release formulation), lovastatin 40 mg, pitavastatin 2 to 4 mg, pravastatin 40 to 80 mg, rosuvastatin 5 to 10 mg, and simvastatin 20 to 40 mg.
Low-intensity statins include fluvastatin 20 to 40 mg, lovastatin 20 mg, simvastatin 10 mg, pitavastatin 1mg, and pravastatin 10 to 20 mg.