PMU6 - Trends in Prevalence of Statin Use and Treatment Burden for Statin Users with Comorbidities in South Korea

Abstract

Patients receiving statins may be elderly or have comorbid conditions, increasing the potential complications and costs associated with treatment. The patient characteristics and comorbidity burden for patients who have received statin prescriptions in South Korea have not yet fully been explored. This study used the National Patient Sample from the Health Insurance Review & Assessment Service (HIRA) database from 2012 to 2016. Statin users were defined as patients over 18 years old who were prescribed statins at least two times within each year. Patient characteristics were gender, age, insurer type, region and specialty. Comorbidities were defined by ICD-10 codes as well as usage of the related medication. Comorbidity burden was measured by outpatient visit, hospitalization days and associated medical costs. Descriptive and bivariate analysis were conducted. Pearson Chi-square test and ANOVA test were used for comparing categorical variables and interval/ratio variables, respectively. Over the 5 year period, the number of statin users increased by 12% annually; from 2012 (N=3,528,371) to 2016 (N=5,516,998). The most common comorbidities among statin users were diabetes mellitus (DM, 37%), muscle pain, a known adverse event of statins (24%) then coronary disease (16%). Comorbidity rates were not significantly different year on year. Yearly medical costs associated with comorbidities were also higher. Statin users with coronary disease presented higher costs (3,890,531 KRW) followed by DM (2,890,531 KRW) and muscle pain (2,753,612 KRW) compared to those without comorbidities (2,442,358 KRW). Prevalence of statin users increased significantly year on year, and higher medical costs were observed for those with comorbidities. The results suggest that better disease management of statin users with comorbidities may be warranted. Given the increasing prevalence and economic burden, improved treatments for these groups may yield substantial cost savings.