The use of alternate-day lovastatin in hypercholesterolemic men

To quantitate the therapeutic effects of alternate-day lovastatin on serum lipoprotein values in a small group of men with primary hypercholesterolemia.

Retrospective review of medical, pharmacy, and laboratory records. A paired Student's t-test was performed on absolute changes in lipoprotein values with an a priori p value less than or equal to 0.05 being statistically significant.

A lipid clinic within a tertiary care Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center.

Twenty men (mean age 62.5 +/- 8.3 y) with mean +/- SD baseline low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) concentration of 161.3 +/- 21.9 mg/dL and triglyceride concentrations below 400 mg/dL.

All patients had been prescribed lovastatin 20 mg every other day.

The mean absolute and percent changes in lipoprotein values from baseline for patients receiving lovastatin 20 mg every other day and the percentage of patients attaining a target mean LDL-C concentration as defined by the National Cholesterol Education Panel Adult Treatment Panel II guidelines.

Mean +/- SD total cholesterol and LDL-C were significantly reduced by 32.4 +/- 17.8 (14.0% +/- 7.8%) and 34.1 +/- 14.6 mg/dL (21.5% +/- 9.7%), respectively. No significant changes were seen in high- density lipoprotein cholesterol or triglycerides. Four of 20 patients (20%) attained a goal LDL-C concentration.

Lovastatin 20 mg every other day may effectively lower LDL-C in some elderly men, and target LDL-C concentrations may be obtained in some patients.