Related Experiment Videos
[Treatment of hypercholesterolemic patients of different age with simvastatin: 1-year study]
1Istituto di Medicina e Chirurgia geriatrica, Ospedale Molinette, Università, Torino.
Insights
Simvastatin effectively lowers cholesterol in adults aged 30-75 with hypercholesterolemia. This study shows simvastatin, alone or with cholestyramine, is well-tolerated and reduces LDL cholesterol and related ratios.
Area of Science:
- Cardiology
- Pharmacology
- Internal Medicine
Background:
- Limited evidence exists on cholesterol reduction's impact on cardiovascular disease (CHD) in the elderly.
- Emerging data suggest potential benefits of dietary and/or pharmacologic interventions for hypercholesterolemia in younger elderly individuals.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the efficacy and tolerability of simvastatin, alone or combined with cholestyramine.
- To assess these interventions in two distinct age groups: young-old (30-55 years) and elderly (60-75 years).
Main Methods:
- A 48-week study involving two groups of patients with primary hypercholesterolemia.
- Group A (30-55 years) and Group B (60-75 years) received simvastatin, with some patients also receiving cholestyramine.
Main Results:
- Simvastatin significantly reduced total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol in both groups (p < 0.001).
- The total/HDL cholesterol ratio decreased significantly (p < 0.001).
- Apo-B100 levels decreased (p < 0.01 and p < 0.001), improving the apo-B100/apo-A1 ratio (p < 0.01).
Conclusions:
- Simvastatin is effective in lowering cholesterol levels in patients with primary hypercholesterolemia across different age groups.
- The drug was well-tolerated with no significant side effects observed in either the young-old or elderly participants.
Abstract:
Nowadays there is no direct evidence that lowering cholesterol may reduce the CHD in the elderly; however, several evidences suggest the potential benefit of a dietetic and/or pharmacologic intervention in healthy young-old hypercholesterolemics. In this study we evaluated the efficacy and tolerability of simvastatin, alone or in combination with cholestyramine, in two groups of patients (group A: age 30-55 years and group B: age 60-75 years) with primary hypercholesterolemia, over a 48-week period. In both groups Simvastatin induced a significant reduction in total and LDL cholesterol (p less than 0.001 both), with a decrease of the total/HDL cholesterol ratio (p less than 0.001). A reduction of the apo-B100 levels was also observed (respectively p less than 0.01 and p less than 0.001) with a significant improvement of the apo-B100/apo-A1 ratio (p less than 0.01). Simvastatin was well tolerated and free of remarkable side effects in both groups.