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BACKGROUND: Current guidelines for patients with atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) have explicitly highlighted the direct correlation of reduced low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) with a subsequent risk reduction in further ischemic events. Little is known about secular trends of lipid management among U.S. Veterans with ASCVD over the past 2 decades. OBJECTIVES: The objective of the study was to determine the trend in the proportion of Veterans with ASCVD who are receiving lipid-lowering therapy treated to goal (LDL-C 70 mg/dL. Over the 17-year period, the proportion achieving LDL-C 75 years, who experienced marked increases in LDL-C improvement. CONCLUSIONS: We observed a clear trend toward higher prevalence of LDL-C control among Veterans with ASCVD from 2003 to 2020. Despite this progress, most Veterans remain above guideline-recommended LDL-C targets, underscoring the need for continued optimization of lipid-lowering therapy.
Benjamin et al. (Thu,) studied this question.