EFFICACY OF EZETIMIBE-BASED THERAPY OF HYPERLIPIDEMIA COMPLICATED WITH LIVER DYSFUNCTION

YOULIN MAO, YIQIANG YUAN, RUIMIN WANG, QIONG HUANG, YUJIE ZHAO, LUOSHA ZHAO

Department of Cardiology, First Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China

Introduction: Statins are powerful lipid-modifying agents; however, they have dose-dependent risk for liver dysfunction. Ezetimibe possesses a relatively low lipid-modifying activity, but is less likely to cause liver dysfunction. This study aimed to evaluate the clinical efficacy of ezetimibe-based therapy in hyperlipidemia patients with concomitant liver dysfunction. This study aimed to explore the efficacy of ezetimibe combined with metformin and simvastatin in the treatment of hyperlipidemia patients with liver dysfunction.

Materials and methods: From January 2012 to March 2014, 210 hyperlipidemia patients with liver dysfunction were enrolled and assigned to control (a low-dose simvastatin), ezetimibe + a low-dose simvastatin (ES) or ezetimibe + metformin + a low-dose simvastatin (EMS) groups (n=70 per group). Before treatment, the blood lipids, glucose, creatine kinase (CK), and liver and kidney functions were detected. Patients with ≥2× upper limit of normal values of transaminases were excluded. Treatment was conducted for 3 months. CK, aspartate transaminase (AST), alanine transaminase (ALT) and bilirubin were measured after 3-month treatment.

Results: After 3-month treatment, significant reductions were found in total cholesterol (TC), triglyceride (TG), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) in three groups. The CK, TC, TG, HDL-C, LDL-C and liver function were significantly different among 3 groups after 3-month treatment.

Conclusion: Ezetimibe-based therapy has more potent lipid-modifying capability in hyperlipidemia patients with liver dysfunction, without deteriorating liver function.