Disease management collaboration on cholesterol seeks to change statistics

According to a new US consumer survey conducted for WomenHeart: The National Coalition for Women with Heart Disease, the Association of Black Cardiologists and AstraZeneca by Harris Interactive, the m

By Editor on Nov 15, 2005

According to a new US consumer survey conducted for WomenHeart: The National Coalition for Women with Heart Disease, the Association of Black Cardiologists and AstraZeneca by Harris Interactive, the majority of US adults (60%) being treated with cholesterol-lowering statin drugs do not know their target cholesterol goal.

And the survey finds that among patients taking statins, 69% are not discussing ways to lower their goal with their doctor and 31% are not talking about how to maintain their goal.

Only 42% of US adults worried about their cholesterol have discussed their goal with their doctors, while 63% of patients taking statins cannot identify the maximum desirable level of LDL, or bad cholesterol.

The results of the survey suggest there is a clear need for more effective patient-doctor communication about cholesterol, because Americans are confused, says Dr. Noel Bairey Merz, a cardiologist at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles and member of the WomenHeart's Scientific Advisory Board. It's not enough to educate patients about the risks associated with elevated cholesterol and knowing numbers's unless it means something. We need to go one step further and set an appropriate goal that we can help patients reach by developing an individualized treatment plan with clear steps and an end-point.

Nearly 40% of patients who use statins say they wish their healthcare professionals would spend more time discussing cholesterol with them.

So, to better educate patients and to improve their communication with their doctors, the groups have launched a disease management program called GOAL Standard. The campaign is designed to provide patients and healthcare providers with tools to identify target cholesterol goals and plans to successfully reach and maintain them.

The GOAL Standard site (www.goalstandard.com) includes a fact sheet, a downloadable brochure, survey findings, an interactive cholesterol calculator and a patient forum for sharing cholesterol experiences.

The results from this survey are alarming, especially given the dangers of untreated high cholesterol, says Nancy Loving, executive director of WomenHeart. We plan to take education one step further by encouraging patients to take action talk with a doctor, identify a target goal and then do whatever it takes to reach and maintain it.

Medication can be an important part of a high cholesterol management program for the many patients that cannot reach their target goal with diet and exercise alone, says Dr. B.Waine Kong, chief executive of the Association of Black Cardiologists. Even more compliance to these medications is critical for patients to achieve their goal. This program will motivate them to succeed.