Key result
Physicians substantially overestimate statin-associated myalgia, perceiving rates as high as ~29%.
Why the study?
Many patients with dyslipidemia fail to achieve optimal LDL targets for reasons often related to treating physicians, warranting quantification of physician perceptions and beliefs regarding statin treatment.
Cross-Sectional (n=261)
The survey highlights a significant overestimation of statin-related side effects and therapeutic inertia among treating physicians, emphasizing the need for targeted educational interventions.
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Physician overestimation of statin myalgias may underlie therapeutic inertia; leaves open whether education improves real-world LDL-C control.
Background: Statins remain to date the primary therapeutic option for dyslipidemia. However, a significant portion of patients with dyslipidemia fail to achieve optimal low-density lipoprotein targets for reasons often related to treating physicians. The aim of STAtin Treatment in Routine clinical Practice (STATRIP) survey was to report and quantify perceptions and common beliefs regarding treatment with statins, among physicians implicated in the primary and secondary care of patients with dyslipidemia. Methods and results: This observational cross-sectional study was conducted using an online-distributed questionnaire, which was designed to cover a wide range of physicians' knowledge and perceptions on treatment with statins. A total of 261 health care providers filled out the survey, mostly general practitioners and internists (93.5 %). Study participants clearly expressed their concerns regarding statin-related side effects, including fears on interactions with other medication, muscle aches and pain, increase in liver enzymes, and gastrointestinal disorders. Myalgias were observed by physicians in as many as 29.2 % of patients receiving rosuvastatin, and in as many as 26.5 % receiving atorvastatin. Combination lipid-lowering therapy with ezetimibe was reported by only 53.6 % of participants as a prevalent strategy for uncontrolled individuals. Only 58.6 % apply non-HDL cholesterol measurements in their clinical practice. Conclusions: Our study provides a clear perspective of treating physicians regarding statin prescription patterns. Several misconceptions, especially regarding statin-related adverse effects, hold well among treating physicians. Insufficient implementation of dyslipidemia guidelines calls for more targeted educational interventions to achieve optimal management of patients with dyslipidemia.
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Anyfanti et al. (2026) conducted a cross-sectional in Dyslipidemia (physician survey) (n=261). Physician perceptions and statin prescription patterns was evaluated on Physician-reported percentage of patients complaining of myalgia on rosuvastatin (95% CI 23.7-35.0). Physicians demonstrated significant misconceptions regarding statin-related adverse effects, overestimating the clinical prevalence of myalgia at 29.1% for rosuvastatin and 26.4% for atorvastatin.
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