[Secondary dyslipidaemia after oral contraceptives]

To examine changes to blood lipid and lipoprotein levels following introduction of modern oral hormonal contraception agents and to evaluate atherogenic character of this dyslipidemia. METHODS, PATIENT SAMPLE: Forty four women of the mean age of 22.7 +/- 3.5 years, BMI 21.4 +/- 2.5 kg/sqm, waste line 71.9 +/- 7.1 cm and BP 115.7 +/- 12.2/70.1 +/- 8.3 mm Hg were included. Total cholesterol, HDL-cholesterol, LDL-cholesterol, triglycerides, apolipoprotein A1 and apolipoprotein B levels were assessed before the introduction of contraception and 3 months into the treatment.

Following 3 months of treatment, increase in the total cholesterol (4.19 +/- 0.80 vs 4.75 +/- 0.79 mmol/l; p < 0.001), LDL-cholesterol (2.10 +/- 0.64 vs 2.32 +/- 0.66 mmol/l; p = 0.23), HDL-cholesterol (1.71 +/- 0.42 vs 1.90 +/- 0.45 mmol/l; p < 0.001), triglycerides (0.85 +/- 0.36 vs 1.18 +/- 0.50 mmol/l; p < 0.001), apolipoprotein A1 (1.55 +/- 0.33 vs 1.88 +/- 0.44g/l; p < 0.001) and apolipoprotein B (0.58 +/- 0.15 vs 0.69 +/- 0.19 g/l; p < 0.001) levels was observed. The total cholesterol/HDL cholesterol and apolipoprotein B/apolipoprotein A1 ratios have not changed significantly between the two assessments.

Three-month treatment with combined hormonal contraception resulted in statistically significantly increased concentrations of triglycerides, total cholesterol, HDL-cholesterol, LDL-cholesterol, apolipoprotein A1 and apolipoprotein B. At the same time, total cholesterol/HDL cholesterol and apolipoprotein B/apolipoprotein A1 ratios have not changed significantly and thus hormonal contraception-induced dyslipidemia should not be regarded as proatherogenic.