Long-Term Effect of Zhenzhu Tiaozhi Capsule (FTZ) on Hyperlipidemia: 2-Year Results from a Retrospective Study Using Electronic Medical Records

The objective of this work was to study the lipid profile (LDL, TC, TG, and HDL) over 2 years in patients with hyperlipidemia in a real-world clinical setting and to describe the dynamical trajectory of lipid profile change in response to lipid-lowering treatment (Zhenzhu Tiaozhi capsule (FTZ) vs. general lipid-lowering treatment, i.e., statins, fibrates, and Xuezhikang). We conducted a retrospective study that included people aged ≥18 years with hyperlipidemia that initiated lipid-lowering treatment between January 2010 and December 2020. Demographic, diagnosis, and laboratory data were retrieved from hospital's electronic medical records, including hospital information system (HIS) and the laboratory information system (LIS). Follow-up trajectories of lipid profile were plotted in a generalized additive mixed model (GAMM) with smooth splines. A total of 839 patients with hyperlipidemia were included. Within 2 years, LDL, TC, and TG descended steadily and gently in the FTZ group (N = 99), while the general lipid-lowering treatment (N = 740) shortly improved LDL, TC, and TG before 11 weeks and was no longer present around 30 weeks. After 30 weeks, the trajectory of LDL, TC, and TG fluctuated up and down. Also, for HDL, a similar trajectory was observed before 40 weeks between 2 groups, but the FTZ group showed an increasing trend after 40 weeks, while a similar trend was not seen in the general lipid-lowering group. In this study, FTZ was shown to have similar long-term effectiveness as an alternative lipid-lowering treatment to the general lipid-lowering treatment. The findings of this study provide observational evidence for further studies of FTZ, but more prospective studies are needed to determine the impacts of FTZ on lipid profile.