[Behavior of high-density lipoproteins in drug lipid-lowering treatment]

Changes in serum lipids, the individual lipoprotein fractions after ultracentrifugation and the apoproteins B, A1 and A2 were studied in 66 patients with primary hypercholesterolemia under treatment with different lipid-lowering agents. After 3 months with dietary treatment alone and a 4-week placebo period the patients were given bezafibrate (3 X 200 mg daily), colestipol (2 X 10 g per day) or probucol (2 X 500 mg daily) for 12 months, followed by another 4-week placebo period at the end of the study. Colestipol showed the best lipid-lowering effect (total and LDL cholesterol were decreased by 20% and 23% respectively) but satisfactory total and LDL cholesterol lowering results were also obtained with the other substances. However, the changes in HDL differed widely among the three substances: bezafibrate increased HDL cholesterol and the HDL apoproteins A1 and A2 significantly, colestipol did not alter these parameters, while probucol treatment was followed by a significant decrease in both HDL-cholesterol and the apoproteins A1 and A2.