Treatment of hyperlipemia in diabetic patients on dialysis with a physiological substance

Hyperlipemia is a very frequent complication of the diabetic patient on dialysis. There is difficulty of treatment with the diet, because the dietary restriction already imposed on these patients and the secondary effects and toxicity of the available drugs in uremics aggravate the problem. We have treated 22 diabetic patients on dialysis (8 on hemodialysis and 14 on continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis) suffering from hyperlipemia with pantethine, a physiological substance and coenzyme A precursor in the Krebs cycle. With the administration of an oral dose of 900 mg/day we obtained a reduction of total cholesterol (275 +/- 72 vs. 231 +/- 54 mg/dl; p less than 0.001), very-low-density lipoprotein (VLDL)-cholesterol (66 +/- 36 vs. 46 +/- 18 mg/dl; p less than 0.01) and triglycerides (332 +/- 182 vs. 227 +/- 90 mg/dl; p less than 0.01) at 2 months. High-density lipoprotein (HDL)-cholesterol did not change, but the total cholesterol/HDL-cholesterol ratio decreased significantly (p less than 0.05). Total cholesterol, VLDL and triglycerides showed a progressive and significant reduction at 4 and 6 months. No changes were observed in serum glutamic oxaloacetic transaminase, serum glutamic pyruvic transaminase, uric acid, blood glucose and glycosylated hemoglobin. Gastric discomfort in 2 patients and pruritus in another one were the secondary effects related. Pantethine was shown to be a very effective hypolipemic agent in diabetic patients on dialysis with a great tolerance.