Clinical evaluation of simvastatin in the treatment of hyperlipidemia

Fifty nine cases with hyperlipidemia were divided randomly into two groups. In group I, each patient took simvastatin 10-40mg/day (mean 17.9mg/day). In group 2, each patient took gemfibrozil 1200mg/day. After treatment with simvastatin, in comparing with baseline values, serum level of total cholesterol (TC), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) triglyceride (TG), apolipoprotein B (ApoB), and TC/HDL-C (high-density lipoprotein cholesterol) reduced by 34.6% (P < 0.001), 45.4% (P < 0.001), 22.1% (P < 0.01), 21.1% (P < 0.001), and 39.4% (P < 0.001) respectively, and HDL-C, apolipoprotein A-I(Apo A-I) and Apo A-I/Apo B elevated by 14.2%, 21.9% and 64.5% respectively. For lowering TC, LDL-C, Apo B and elevating Apo A-I/Apo B, Simvastatin was better than gemfibrozil (P < 0.01-0.001). However, for lowering TG, gemfibrozil was better than simvastatin (P < 0.001). As for increasing HDL-C and Apo A-I, no significant differences were found between the two groups. No significant side effects were found in all patients but one who developed hypersensitive eruption after gemfibrozil taken, and he was excluded from the trial.