Challenges in Improving Adherence to Diet and Drug Treatment in Hypercholesterolemia Patients

Abstract

Poor adherence to chronic disease treatment may seriously compromise the effectiveness of therapy, characterizing itself as a critical element for the population’s health, both from the point of view of quality of life and health economics. The causes of low adherence are many and can depend on the patient, the physician and the healthcare system. Low adherence to dietary recommendations and lipid-lowering drug therapy for hypercholesterolemia is a widespread phenomenon that may strongly limit the great advantages of serum lipid reduction strategies in primary and secondary cardiovascular prevention. Many patients discontinue treatment, and adherence decreases with time. Increasing therapeutic adherence can have a much greater impact on the health of the population than any other therapeutic advance. There are numerous strategies to increase therapy adherence according to behavior change theories. They concern the doctor and the patient. Some must be implemented at the time of prescription, others later during the follow-up. The active role of the patient in the therapeutic decision and the shared definition of LDL cholesterol targets are of paramount importance. The aim of this narrative review is to summarize evidence on current levels of adherence to lipid-lowering strategies, the causes of the lack of adequate adherence and possible physician-applicable strategies to improve it.