Factors associated with compliance to lipid-lowering treatment in China.

BACKGROUND

There are an estimated 200 million people in China with dyslipidaemia. We sought to explore factors that influence compliance to treatment of dyslipidaemia, using a multi-centre sample in China.

METHODS

Through review of medical notes and direct interviews at two points in time (2006 and 2007) of 2094 patients in 27 hospitals receiving lipid-lowering therapy since 2004, 1890 patients were recruited who had been on treatment for more than one year. Good compliance (GC) was defined as days taking lipid-lowering drugs/total days of follow-up ≥ 80%. Logistic regression models were used to assess factors associated with GC.

RESULTS

In patients with one, two and three years of treatment respectively, GC was greater in those with higher versus lower medical insurance cover - odds ratios 2.8 (95%CI 2.2-3.7), 2.0 (1.5-2.7), 4.3 (2.3-8.1); in patients in province-level versus county-level hospitals-2.0 (1.5-2.6), 2.9 (2.0-4.1), 4.6 (1.8-12.0); in patients treated by non-cardiology physicians compared to cardiologists -1.7 (1.1-2.5), 2.0 (1.3-3.0), 4.0 (1.5-10.3) and in patients using a statin versus other forms of medication for dyslipidaemia -1.7 (1.2-2.2), 1.7 (1.2-2.3), 4.4 (2.3-8.5).

CONCLUSIONS

Better medical insurance cover, care in a province-level hospital rather than county-level hospital, treatment by a non-cardiologist and use of a statin were associated with better compliance to lipid-lowering treatment.