BACKGROUND: @entity1 with @entity6 are at high risk for cardiovascular events regardless of known @entity299 . Physicians may underrecognize the excess @entity65 conferred by @entity6 alone, without a recent cardiovascular event. Other disparities in the receipt of lipid-lowering medications (LLMs) may exist. METHODS: We studied veterans with @entity6 in fiscal years 1998 and 1999 cross-sectionally. We used administrative data (demographic information, International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision [ICD-9] codes, utilization information, medications, and laboratory tests) to evaluate associations between use of LLMs and age, ethnicity, sex, marital status, Charlson Index, @entity299 ICD-9 codes, oral agents and insulin, hospitalization status, and low-density lipoprotein @entity165 levels. We constructed separate logistic regression models to evaluate associations between low-density lipoprotein @entity165 and similar predictor variables. RESULTS: Odds ratios were similar in both years. For fiscal year 1999, @entity1 without recent ICD-9 codes in their administrative data indicating @entity299 were 0.35 times less likely to be given LLMs than those with such codes. Individuals older than 75 years were 0.65 times less likely to be given LLMs than those younger than 65 years. African Americans were 0.72 times less likely than whites to be given LLMs. In fiscal years 1999 and 1998, 27% and 36% of individuals given LLMs had low-density lipoprotein @entity165 levels higher than 130 mg/dL (3.37 mmol/L). CONCLUSIONS: Veterans with @entity6 but no recently coded @entity299 , older individuals, and African Americans could benefit from programs targeted to introduce LLMs. Up to one third of individuals given LLMs remained above the target level of 130 mg/dL for low-density lipoprotein @entity165 .

Disparities in use of lipid-lowering medications among @entity1 with XXXX .

@entity1 :: ('9606', 'Species') :: ['patients', 'People'] @entity6 :: ('MESH:D003920', 'Disease') :: ['diabetes'] @entity299 :: ('MESH:D006331', 'Disease') :: ['heart disease'] @entity65 :: ('MESH:D002318', 'Disease') :: ['cardiovascular risk'] @entity165 :: ('MESH:D002784', 'Chemical') :: ['cholesterol']
@entity6 :: (MESH:D003920,Disease) :: ['type 2 diabetes mellitus']
