Atorvastatin improves blood rheology in patients with familial hypercholesterolemia (FH) on long-term LDL apheresis treatment

• Published in: Atherosclerosis Vol. 159; no. 2; pp. 513 - 519
• Main Authors: Banyai, S, Banyai, M, Falger, J, Jansen, M, Alt, E, Derfler, K, Koppensteiner, R
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Amsterdam Elsevier Ireland Ltd 01-12-2001; Elsevier
• Subjects: Adult; Aged; Anticholesteremic Agents - administration & dosage; Atorvastatin; Biological and medical sciences; Blood viscosity; Blood Viscosity - drug effects; Combined Modality Therapy; Erythrocyte Aggregation - drug effects; Familial hypercholesterolemia; Female; Fibrinogen; Fibrinogen - drug effects; General and cellular metabolism. Vitamins; Heptanoic Acids - administration & dosage; Humans; Hyperlipoproteinemia Type II - drug therapy; Hyperlipoproteinemia Type II - genetics; Hyperlipoproteinemia Type II - therapy; LDL apheresis; Male; Medical sciences; Middle Aged; Pharmacology. Drug treatments; Plasma viscosity; Plasmapheresis - methods; Probability; Prospective Studies; Pyrroles - administration & dosage; Red cell aggregation; Rheology - drug effects; Sensitivity and Specificity; Severity of Illness Index; Statistics, Nonparametric; Treatment Outcome; LDL apheresis; Blood viscosity; Plasma viscosity; Red cell aggregation; Fibrinogen; Atorvastatin; Familial hypercholesterolemia; Human; Prognosis; Enzyme; Apheresis; Rheology; Hydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA synthase; Enzyme inhibitor; Metabolic diseases; Lipids; Hyperlipoproteinemia; Lyases; Statin derivative; Hereditary; Blood; Oxo-acid-lyases; Lipoprotein LDL; Carbon-carbon lyases; Chemotherapy; Hypercholesterolemia; Treatment; Dyslipemia; Antilipemic agent
• ISSN: 0021-9150; 1879-1484
• DOI: 10.1016/S0021-9150(01)00532-9

To determine the effect of atorvastatin on blood rheology in patients with familial hypercholesterolemia (FH) on regular LDL apheresis, we prospectively studied the rheological variables fibrinogen, plasma viscosity, red cell aggregation, whole blood viscosity, hematocrit and platelet aggregation in 12 patients (two homozygous, ten heterozygous) before and during treatment with atorvastatin. Baseline values of red cell aggregation and whole blood viscosity were increased in FH patients on regular LDL apheresis compared with healthy controls (
P<0.05), whereas fibrinogen, plasma viscosity and hematocrit were similar in the two groups. Treatment with atorvastatin reduced red cell aggregation (
P<0.01), whole blood viscosity (
P<0.01), plasma viscosity (
P<0.01) and platelet aggregation (
P<0.05), but caused a slight increase in plasma fibrinogen (by 5%;
P<0.01). Our findings suggest that atorvastatin improves blood rheology in patients with FH on regular LDL-apheresis. This improvement in blood flow properties may contribute to the well-known beneficial effects of atorvastatin on cardiovascular risk in patients with severe hyperlipidemia and atherosclerotic vascular disease.