Unlocking the Puzzle: Sex, Hypertension, and SGLT2 Inhibitors - Determinants of LDL-C Target Achievement in Coronary Heart Disease

Desalegn Aychiluhm Abate¹, Senbeta Guteta Abdissa², Zekarias Seifu Ayalew¹, Gebeyehu Tessema Azibte^1, and Zelalem Belay Ayele¹

¹Department of Internal Medicine, Addis Ababa University, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

²Division of Cardiology, Department of Internal Medicine, Addis Ababa University, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Cite this paper:
Desalegn Aychiluhm Abate, Senbeta Guteta Abdissa, Zekarias Seifu Ayalew, Gebeyehu Tessema Azibte and Zelalem Belay Ayele. Unlocking the Puzzle: Sex, Hypertension, and SGLT2 Inhibitors - Determinants of LDL-C Target Achievement in Coronary Heart Disease. American Journal of Cardiovascular Disease Research. 2024; 9(2):10-16. doi: 10.12691/ajcdr-9-2-1

Abstract

Background: - Globally, cardiovascular diseases (CVD) are the primary cause of death. According to estimates, ischemic heart disease and cerebrovascular illnesses were responsible for 85% of 18 million CVD-related fatalities that occurred globally in 2017. One of the main causative risk factors for atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease is elevated low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C). LDL particles can migrate from plasma into the subendothelial region of the artery, where they induce inflammation and lead to the development of atherosclerotic plaques. Thus, LDL-C lowering should be tailored to reach the target objective suggested by guidelines to reduce cardiovascular disease risk. Objective: -Assessment of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol target attainment and associated factors among patients with established coronary heart disease at the cardiology clinic, Tikur Anbessa Specialized Hospital. Methods: - Institutional-based retrospective cross-sectional study design was conducted from August 2023 to October 2023. In this study, among 240 planned participants, 221 participants were extracted, making a chart retrieval rate of 91.7%. Data analysis was done by using SPSS version 26. Multiple regression was applied to identify associated factors. Result: - In this study, about two-thirds of the participants were male, and more than one-third were between the ages of sixty-one and seventy. The level of LDL-C target attainment was 41%. The factors significantly associated with the LDL-C target attainment were male sex (AOR=1.8, 95%CI=1.44, 3.42), hypertension (AOR=0.57, 95%CI=0.31, 0.91), and taking SGLT2 inhibitors (AOR=1.5, 95%CI=1.37, 4.85). Conclusion: The level of LDL-C target attainment was low. Male sex and taking sodium-glucose transporter 2 (SGL2) inhibitors were favorable factors, but hypertension was associated with a low level of LDL target attainment.

Keywords:
low-density lipoprotein cholesterol target coronary heart disease

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