PMID: 2504855Sep 1, 1989Paper

Plasma lipoprotein changes after treatment with pravastatin and gemfibrozil in patients with familial hypercholesterolemia

The Journal of Laboratory and Clinical Medicine
G FranceschiniC R Sirtori

Abstract

The ability of pravastatin, a new hydroxymethylglutaryl coenzyme A (HMG-CoA) reductase inhibitor, to lower plasma lipid levels and modify lipoprotein patterns was compared with that of gemfibrozil in 18 patients with familial hypercholesterolemia who participated in a 16-week, double-blind, parallel trial. Pravastatin proved better than gemfibrozil in lowering total and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterolemia: -23.6% and -28.2% versus -18.1% and -21.4%, respectively. A significant positive correlation was found between the starting level of serum cholesterol (both total and LDL) and the gemfibrozil-induced reduction (r = 0.72 and 0.69), whereas the hypocholesterolemic effect of pravastatin was apparently independent from pretreatment levels (r = 0.32 and 0.10). Apolipoprotein B concentrations were lowered by 25.4% (pravastatin) and 22.0% (gemfibrozil). Pravastatin and gemfibrozil reduced triglyceride levels by 13.9% and 49.4%, respectively. Both drugs increased the level of high density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, but this change was significant only with gemfibrozil (p less than 0.05). The HDL subfraction structure and distribution were not modified by pravastatin treatment. Gemfibrozil, in contrast, increased HDL3 ch...Continue Reading

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