The development of lipoprotein apheresis in Saxony in the last years
Solveig Frieda Rosa Kuss1, Ulrike Schatz1, Sergey Tselmin1
1Department of Internal Medicine III, University Hospital Carl Gustav Carus Dresden at the Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany.
Insights
Lipoprotein apheresis is increasingly important in Saxony, Germany. This high-risk patient group experienced very few cardiovascular events during treatment, indicating therapy effectiveness.
Area of Science:
- Cardiology
- Lipidology
- Public Health
Background:
- Lipoprotein apheresis is a crucial treatment for managing severe lipid disorders.
- Understanding patient demographics and treatment outcomes in specific regions is vital for public health initiatives.
Purpose of the Study:
- To analyze the characteristics and outcomes of patients undergoing lipoprotein apheresis in Saxony, Germany.
- To compare current treatment data with historical trends from 2010-2018.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective analysis of 339 patients (230 men, 109 women) treated with lipoprotein apheresis in Saxony in 2018.
- Data collected included age, lipid profiles, risk factors, cardiovascular events, and medication.
- Comparison with data from 2010-2013 to assess trends.
Main Results:
- Saxony shows a higher prevalence of lipoprotein apheresis treatment (10 patients/100,000 inhabitants) compared to Germany overall.
- Hypertension was prevalent in nearly all patients; type 2 diabetes was more common in those with low Lipoprotein(a).
- Cardiovascular events significantly decreased during apheresis therapy in this high-risk population, with some regions reporting no events.
Conclusions:
- Lipoprotein apheresis has shown increasing importance and effectiveness in Saxony between 2010 and 2018.
- The low rate of cardiovascular events during treatment highlights its value in managing high-risk patients.
Methods:
Three hundred thirty-nine patients (230 men, 109 women) treated with lipoprotein apheresis in Saxony, Germany, in 2018 are described in terms of age, lipid pattern, risk factors, cardiovascular events, medication, and number of new admissions since 2014, and the data are compared with figures from 2010 to 2013.
Results:
Patients were treated by 45.5 physicians in 16 lipoprotein apheresis centers. With about 10 patients per 100 000 inhabitants, the number of patients treated with lipoprotein apheresis in Saxony is twice as high as in Germany as a whole. The median treatment time was 3 years. Almost all patients had hypertension; type 2 diabetes mellitus was seen significantly more often in patients with low Lipoprotein(a). Cardiovascular events occurred in almost all patients before initiation of lipoprotein apheresis, under apheresis therapy the cardiovascular events rate was very low in this high-risk group. For some cardiovascular regions even no events could be observed.
Conclusions:
The importance of lipoprotein apheresis in Saxony had been increasing from 2010 to 2018.
