Editor's Choice - Adherence to Antithrombotic and Lipid Lowering Therapy and Clinical Outcomes in Patients with Lower Extremity Peripheral Arterial Disease: A Nationwide Nested Case Control Study.

Abstract

Guidelines recommend lifelong antithrombotic and lipid lowering therapy to reduce adverse events in symptomatic lower extremity peripheral arterial disease (PAD), yet adherence remains suboptimal. This study investigated the impact of adherence to antithrombotic and lipid lowering therapy on limb and mortality related outcomes. In this nationwide, nested case control study using Danish nationwide registries, all patients aged ≥ 40 years with a first symptomatic PAD diagnosis from 2007 - 2021 were identified. Three nested case control analyses were conducted for major amputation, major adverse cardiovascular events (MACEs), and all cause death, matching controls by age, sex, and time since index diagnosis. Adherence was estimated by the proportion of days covered (PDC) in the year before the event. Conditional logistic regression was used to calculate adjusted odds ratios (aORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs), adjusting for frailty, comorbidities, and medication use. Among 85 292 patients, there were 4 288 cases of major amputation (median age 73 years; women 36.2%) matched to 17 152 controls, 9 145 cases with MACEs (median age 74 years; women 43.8%) matched to 36 580 controls, and 41 331 deaths (median age 79 years; women 43.6%) matched to 165 324 controls. PDC ranged from 62.6% for major amputations to 71.5% for all cause death. Adherence statistically significantly reduced the risk of major amputation (aOR 0.56, 95% CI 0.51 - 0.62), MACE (aOR 0.79, 95% CI 0.75 - 0.84), and death (aOR 0.78, 95% CI 0.75 - 0.80). Current therapy use on the index date also reduced risk across all outcomes, but discontinuing lipid lowering therapy negated the benefit. Although adherence to antithrombotic and lipid lowering therapy significantly reduced limb and mortality related outcomes in patients with symptomatic PAD, the PDC remained modest, emphasising the need for strategies to improve long term adherence in this high risk population.