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Low-density lipoprotein apheresis retards the progression of hyperlipidemic overt diabetic nephropathy
T Nakao1, M Yoshino, H Matsumoto
1Department of Nephrology, Tokyo Medical University, Japan.
Background:
Hyperlipidemia has recently received attention as being involved in the progression of diabetic nephropathy (DN). Low-density lipoprotein apheresis (LDL-A) can remove a large amount of plasma lipid directly from the patients in a short time.
Methods:
Fifteen type 2 diabetic patients with overt nephropathy received LDL-A in two different manners: short-term intensive therapy (SIT) for nine patients and long-term intermittent therapy (LIT) for six patients.
Results:
The changes in the monthly decline rates of reciprocal serum creatinine (1/Cr) were -0.035 +/- 0.020 in the three-month period before SIT, 0.047 +/- 0.041 during and until two weeks after SIT, and -0.035 +/- 0.015 after a period of two weeks from the therapy. The mean duration of LIT in six patients was 8.2 +/- 7.4 months, and the mean monthly decline rates of 1/Cr significantly decreased during the period of LIT as compared with the six-month period before the treatment.
Conclusion:
LDL-A can retard the progression of overt DN, especially when it is performed repeatedly for a long period at two-week intervals.