Influence of lovastatin on serum lipids in patients with primary hyperlipidemia phenotype IIa and IIb. I. Efficacy of lovastatin in the treatment of hyperlipoproteinemia

30 male patients, aged 18-70 years, with primary hyperlipoproteinemia (HLP) IIa (20 persons) and IIb (10 persons), with total serum cholesterol concentration above 6.5 mmol/l and triglyceride concentration below 3.9 mmol/l were treated with lovastatin for 12 weeks, after 4 weeks of wash-out and 4 weeks of placebo period. The lovastatin dosage varied from 20-80 mg daily. There were significant differences between groups in serum triglyceride, HDL-cholesterol and apolipoprotein AI concentration. After 12 weeks of treatment in patients with type IIa as well as with type IIb HPL significant decrease of total cholesterol (by 26.8% and by 33.6%, p < 0.001); LDL-cholesterol (by 39.1% and by 43.2%, p < 0.001); apolipoprotein B (by 22.9% and by 29.6%, p < 0.001) was found. Significant relationship between apolipoprotein B concentration and dosage of lovastatin was found. There were no differences in concentrations of HDL cholesterol and apolipoproteins AI and AII after treatment. The results of this study indicate that lovastatin efficiently decreases total and LDL-cholesterol concentration and apoprotein B level in patients with hypercholesterolemia as well as with hypercholesterolemia with mild hypertriglyceridemia.