• Fatma Nisa Balli Turhan, Emre Kara, Oğuz Abdullah Uyaroğlu, Çalık BaşaranNurselN0000-0002-1290-6905Department of Internal Medicine, Hacettepe University Faculty of Medicine, Ankara, Türkiye., Kutay Demirkan, Serhat Ünal, and Ahmet Çağkan İnkaya.
• Department of Clinical Pharmacy, Gazi University Faculty of Pharmacy, Ankara, Türkiye.
• Postgrad Med. 2024 Sep 1; 136 (7): 720725720-725.

ObjectivesDyslipidemia is a well-established risk factor for atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD). ASCVD prevalence among people living with HIV (PLWH) is twice that of the general population. This study aimed to evaluate the infectious diseases (ID) physicians' attitudes on dyslipidemia management in PLWH.MethodsThis observational, cross-sectional study was conducted as online survey among ID physicians between November 2023 and February 2024. An e-mail with the survey link, title and purpose of the study was sent to physicians through the local ID societies. The survey included questions about physicians' demographic characteristics and their attitudes toward treating dyslipidemia in PLWH.ResultsA total of 242 physicians responded to the survey, of whom 59.9% (n = 145) were ID specialists and 40.1% (n = 97) were ID residents. Forty-one percent (n = 100) of physicians reported that they did not follow a guideline, and 26% of physicians reported that they did not use a cardiovascular risk calculator in their clinical practice. Specialists (69%) were more likely than residents (43.3%) to follow clinical guidelines for dyslipidemia management (p < 0.001). Seventy-two percent (n = 174) of physicians doubted the need to treat dyslipidemia, and 73% (n = 177) of physicians were affected by the patient skepticism. Workload and lack of time were identified by 68.6% of physicians as barriers to implementing dyslipidemia guideline recommendations.ConclusionA considerable number of Turkish ID physicians did not prefer using clinical guidelines for dyslipidemia and ASCVD risk calculators. Statin prescribing of physicians was influenced by workload, lack of time, patient skepticism, and lack of knowledge. Training ID physicians in primary prevention of ASCVD and management of dyslipidemia in PLWH is paramount.

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