The use of statins in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus

Dyslipidemia is a major risk factor for the development of cardiovascular disease in people with diabetes. Achieving recommended therapeutic goals of LDL cholesterol (LDL-c, LDL-low density lipoproteins) reduces the risk of occurrence and progression of chronic complications of diabetes. A descriptive cross-sectional study was carried out on a number of 485 patients with type 2 diabetes, hospitalized in the Endocrinology department of Republican Clinical Hospital „Timofei Moșneaga” during september-november 2023. Of the 485 subjects included in the study, only 242 (49.9%) were taking statin treatment. The mean value of LDL-c in the group of patients taking statins was statistically significantly lower (3.16 mmol/l vs. 3.42 mmol/l; p<0.05). However, even in the group of subjects taking statins, the mean value of LDL-c far exceeds the value of therapeutic targets recommended for people with diabetes mellitus (DM). Personal history of myocardial infarction was reported by 35 (7.2%) study subjects, and of stroke by 14 (2.8%) study subject. But only 40% of those who suffered a heart attack and 50% who suffered a stroke were taking statins. The study highlighted that only half of the people with type 2 DM were administering lipid-lowering treatment with statins, but the therapeutic goals for LDL-c recommended for people with type 2 DM had not been reached.