[Treatment of hyperlipidemia with HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors]

HMG-CoA-reductase inhibitors represent an interesting new class of cholesterol-lowering substances. At the moment there is only one of these substances, lovastatin (Mevacor), registered in Austria. HMG-CoA-reductase inhibitors act primarily through an increase of the expression of the LDL-receptors presumably in the liver. By this mechanism they cause a marked reduction of LDL-cholesterol-levels and thus should markedly reduce the risk of coronary heart disease. The once daily dosage of these drugs, their effectiveness in low doses and the low incidence of side effects facilitate the patient's compliance. With the exception of rhabdomyolysis which occurs very rarely when avoiding a combination therapy with fibrate-analoges or cyclosporin, this kind of treatment is relatively free of serious side effects. Results from long-term studies indicate that the hypocholesterolemic effect of these drugs is maintained during prolonged therapy; possible drug-related side effects did not differ from those reported in short-term studies.