Endocrine Abstracts

Background: People with type 1 diabetes (T1DM) are at a significantly increased risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and stroke compared with the general population. Statin therapy effectively reduces this risk. According to NICE guidelines (NG238), statin treatment for primary prevention should be offered to adults with T1DM who are aged over 40 years, have diabetes for more than 10 years, have established nephropathy, or have other CVD risk factors. NICE also recommends an annual lipid profile for all adults with diabetes.

Aim: To evaluate adherence to NICE guidelines on statin prescribing and annual lipid profile monitoring in adults with T1DM attending Doncaster and Bassetlaw Teaching Hospitals.

Methods: A retrospective audit was conducted of 78 adults with T1DM (aged >18 years) attending Doncaster and Bassetlaw Teaching Hospitals between February 2024 and February 2025. Electronic health records were reviewed to assess eligibility for statin therapy and completion of lipid profile testing within the previous 12 months.

Results: Among 78 patients, 7 were aged <20 years, 31 were aged 20–39 years, and 40 were aged ≥40 years. Twenty-two had diabetes duration >10 years, 10 had established nephropathy, and 4 had a previous myocardial infarction (MI). Based on NICE criteria, 56 patients met indications for statin therapy, but only 21 (37%) were prescribed statins. Among these, 5 patients with nephropathy and 1 with prior MI were not on treatment. Lipid profile monitoring was completed in 56 of 78 patients (72%) within the preceding year.

Conclusion: Adherence to NICE recommendations for statin prescription and annual lipid monitoring in adults with T1DM was suboptimal. Following the audit ,eligible patients were started on statins as per NICE criteria. To improve compliance, we recommend increased clinician awareness through educational posters and inclusion of the date of diabetes diagnosis in clinic letters as a prompt for statin review.