The Prevalence, Healthcare Resource Utilization, and Clinical Characteristics of Individuals with Atherosclerotic Cardiovascular Disease in Manitoba.

BACKGROUND: Many individuals with atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) have elevated low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) levels, which increases the risk of adverse cardiovascular events such as stroke, myocardial infarction, and cardiovascular death. We conducted an observational study to report the point prevalence of ASCVD in Manitoba and to describe this population in terms of demographic, clinical characteristics, treatment received, and healthcare resource utilization. METHODS: Our retrospective cohort study linked population-level de-identified health administrative databases. We included adults (aged ≥ 18 years) with a diagnosis of ASCVD between April 1, 2006 and July 1, 2019. In a 1-year baseline period, we assessed LDL-C levels, lipid-lowering therapy (LLT) prescriptions, and cardiovascular events, along with their costs. RESULTS: A total of 112,601 individuals had ASCVD in Manitoba (point prevalence = 10.5%). The mean age was 68.6 ± 14.7 years, 60,353 (53.2%) were male, and 61,124 (54.3%) were being treated with LLT. In 19,046 individuals with an LDL-C at baseline, 7887 (41.4%) were meeting a target of < 1.8 mmol/L. A total of 4619 cardiovascular events occurred (rate = 41.28/1000 person-years [95% confidence interval: 39.98-42.63]), with a cumulative estimated hospitalization cost of $77.8 million. CONCLUSIONS: The estimated prevalence of ASCVD among adults in Manitoba is 10.5%, and 45.7% of these individuals were not being treated with LLT. In individuals with an LDL-C measurement at baseline, 41.4% were meeting a target of < 1.8 mmol/L. These results may provide inputs to inform future cost-effectiveness analyses of incorporating smore novel LLT therapeutics to lower LDL-C levels in individuals with ASCVD.