Use of Statins in Kidney Transplant Recipients in Norway

• Published in: International journal of environmental research and public health Vol. 19; no. 3; p. 1370
• Main Authors: Rønning, Marit, Hjellvik, Vidar, Sakshaug, Solveig, Blix, Hege Salvesen, Midtvedt, Karsten, Reisæter, Anna Varberg, Holdaas, Hallvard, Åsberg, Anders
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland MDPI AG 26.01.2022; MDPI
• Subjects: Age groups; Cardiovascular diseases; Cardiovascular Diseases - chemically induced; Drug dosages; Female; Health risks; HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors; Humans; Hydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA reductase; Hydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA Reductase Inhibitors - therapeutic use; Immunosuppressive agents; Immunosuppressive Agents - therapeutic use; Kidney Transplantation; Kidney transplants; Male; Norway - epidemiology; Patient compliance; Patients; Population; Population studies; Prescription drugs; Reductases; Statins; Transplants; Norway; cardiovascular disease; kidney transplant recipients; statins; medication adherence; medication appropriateness; prescriptions; pharmacoepidemiology
• ISSN: 1660-4601; 1661-7827; 1660-4601
• DOI: 10.3390/ijerph19031370

Kidney transplant recipients (KTRs) experience increased risk of cardiovascular disease. Guidelines recommend HMG-CoA reductase inhibitor (statin) therapy when tolerated. We aimed to study changes in the prescription of statins and patients' adherence to treatment over time. A population-based observational study utilizing linked data from the Norwegian Renal Registry (national coverage of 99.9%) and the Norwegian Prescription Database was performed. Data from a total of 2250 first KTRs were included (mean age-54 years, 69% men). Dispensed prescriptions of statins and immunosuppressants for the period 2004-2016 for all first KTRs engrafted in the period 2005-2015 were analyzed. Seventy-two percent received statins the first year after kidney transplantation and the proportion increased with age. The proportion receiving a statin varied according to the time frame of transplantation (77% in 2005-2010 vs. 66% in 2012-2015). Among new users of statins, 82% of the patients were adherent both the second and third year after kidney transplantation, while the corresponding figure for those already receiving statins before transplantation was 97%. Statin continuation rates in KTRs were high. In conclusion, our findings show a slightly lower overall proportion of patients receiving statins after kidney transplants than the national target level of 80%. The proportion of statin users increased with the age of the KTRs but showed a decreasing trend as time progressed.