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Unlabelled: Primary and secondary prevention trials have demonstrated that niacin improves the lipid profile and reduces coronary morbidity and mortality., Objective: To investigate the safety and efficacy of niacin in daily doses of 1.5 and 3.0 g in patients with ischemic heart disease and dyslipidemia., Patients and Methods: Sixty one male and female patients, aged 30 to 70 years were included. Thirty two patients were later excluded; 18 for adverse events and 14 for causes not related to niacin., Results: In the 29 patients that finished the study, niacin in a dose-dependent manner, significantly reduced the levels of total cholesterol, LDL-cholesterol, triglycerides, apoB and LDL-C/HDL-C ratio, and significantly increased HDL-Cholesterol concentrations; a decrease in lipoprotein(a) was observed with both dosages, but the change was significant only with the 3.0 g/day. In 11 patients (38%) lipids and lipoproteins reached ideal concentrations. In 15 patients (52%) C-LDL/C-HDL was lower than or equal to 3.5 at the end of the study., Conclusions: Our results suggest that niacin is well tolerated by 62% of the patients. Niacin is a safe, effective and a low cost alternative in the treatment of patients with ischemic heart disease and dyslipidemia.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of long-term high level physical exertion on plasma lipids and lipoproteins. Ninety-one young athletes, 70 men and 21 women, who practiced sports such as running, swimming, rowing, boxing and soccer, were studied. The control group included 101 healthy subjects, 77 men and 24 women, with sedentary life style. The mean plasma levels of total cholesterol (TC) (p = 0.04), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) (p = 0.04) and the atherogenic index (p = 0.01) were lower, and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) (p < 0.005) significantly higher in male athletes than in controls. Mean plasma lipids and lipoproteins concentrations were not significantly different in sportswomen when compared with their controls. The prevalence of hypercholesterolemia, hypertriglyceridemia and low HDL-C levels, were lower in male and female athletes of the five sport disciplines than in sedentary controls; however, only hypercholesterolemia (p < 0.05) and the atherogenic index (p < 0.01) were statistically different. These results, consistent with data previously published, show that low plasma levels of TG and high levels of HDL-C characterizes the athletes who practice an aerobic physical activity; additionally, in male athletes we found that long-term exercise appears to reduce LDL-C plasma levels. This latter finding agree with most, but not all, studies in the literature. We conclude that athletes have a lipid profile that may be protective against the development of atherosclerosis.

Familial hypercholesterolemia (FH) is the genetic lipid disorder with a higher risk to develop coronary heart disease (CHD). In the heterozygous patients there are, however, variability in the atherosclerosis age of onset and severity. In recent years, it has been reported elevated levels of Lp(a) in FH, and it is proposed that this lipoprotein contributes to the development of CHD in these patients. This study evaluates the relationship between Lp(a) levels and the presence of CHD in FH. We included 38 patients with heterozygous FH with or without CHD (13 and 25 respectively), and a control group. In comparison to the control group, FH patients had significant elevated levels of Lp(a) (median 8.1 vs 16 mg/dL), and a greater prevalence of hyper Lp(a) (with a cut-off level of 30 mg/dL) (11.4 vs 25.7%). FH patients with CHD had higher levels of Lp(a) than those without CHD (22.8 vs 14.4 mg/dL). A significative negative correlation between age of onset of CHD and Lp(a) levels was found in females. CHD in FH was associated with male gender, older age, higher prevalence of hypertension, higher waist/hip ratios, higher levels of triglycerides and prevalence of hypertriglyceridemia. Our findings suggest that Lp(a) may play a role as an additional risk factor to develop atherosclerosis in FH.

This 16-week, double-blind study compared the efficacy and safety of pravastatin, a new HMG-CoA reductase inhibitor, with probucol in the treatment of hyperlipidemia in 26 patients at the Instituto Nacional de Cardiología "Ignacio Chávez" in Mexico City. Patients had to have a low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (LDL-C) level in the 75th (or greater) percentile for age and sex greater than 150 mg/ on 2 occasions, and a triglyceride level less than 350 mg/dl. The patients, aged 21 to 75 years, were randomly assigned to receive either pravastatin, 40 mg once daily at bedtime (n = 15), or probucol, 500 mg twice daily (n = 11). Complete lipid profiles were obtained at 4-week intervals. By the end of the study, mean changes in total cholesterol (CT) and LDL-C in the pravastatin group were -28% and -37%, respectively, p less than 0.001 vs baseline. In the pravastatin group, there was a mean increment in HDL-cholesterol (HDL-C) of 9% and consequently a significant reduction in the LDL-C/HDL-C ratio. However, in the probucol group HDL-C levels dropped -21%, p less than 0.01, and no significant change in the LDL-C/HDL-C ratio was observed, accounting for the significant difference in LDL-C/HDL-C ratios between the 2 groups. Both drugs were well tolerated. One pravastatin patient discontinued because of adverse effects (nausea/vomiting and mild muscle pain). These results suggest that once daily administration of pravastatin is an effective therapy for hypercholesterolemia and that it produces a more favorable response in LDL-C/HDL-C ratio than probucol.

The tolerance and efficacy of cholestyramine (12-16 gr/day) was evaluated in 19 patients with primary type-IIa hyperlipoproteinemia. All patients were on an isocaloric low-cholesterol diet that began at least one month before entry, and was continued during the eight weeks of the study. Cholestyramine significantly (p less than 0.001) lowered the plasma levels of cholesterol and of low density lipoprotein cholesterol from means of 288 +/- 46 mg/dl to 244 +/- 44 mg/dl and from 221 +/- 50 mg/dl to 171 +/- 46 mg/dl respectively. These were reductions of 15 and 22%. The magnitude of response to cholestyramine was unrelated to age, sex, cause of the hypercholesterolemia (familial or polygenic) or basal cholesterol levels. The drug was well tolerated. Only one patient was excluded because gastrointestinal discomfort. Because of its safety and efficacy, cholestyramine can be recommended as a first choice drug in the treatment of hypercholesterolemia.

The hypocholesterolemic effect of psyllium plantago (PP) was evaluated in 14 individuals with polygenic hypercholesterolemia. Subjects with secondary dyslipidemias were excluded. Since their admission until the end of the study all the patients had to follow an isocaloric diet, with less than 10% of the calories provided as saturated fats, P/S relation greater than 1 and daily intake of less than 300 mgr of cholesterol. The study was divided in two stages; the first one, from week -6 to 0 evaluated exclusively the response to diet, and the stage II, from week 0 to +12, evaluated the response to PP. The PP in envelopes with 3.4 grs each, was taken dissolved in water three times daily before meals. In the weeks -6, 0, +4, +8 and +12 were done lipid profiles that included; total cholesterol, triglycerides, and high density cholesterol. Cholesterol of the low density lipoproteins was obtained with the formula of Friedewald modified by De Long. The use of PP produced at week 12 a reduction of 8% in total cholesterol and 11% in LDL cholesterol. With non significant changes in triglycerides and HDL-C. We conclude that PP can be used as a complement of diet in the management of polygenic hypercholesterolemia.

The results of lipoprotein studies performed in 67 members of 10 kindreds with familial hypoalphalipoproteinemia are presented. Probands were ten patients referred to the Lipid Clinic of the National Institute of Cardiology for evaluation of their lipid profile, all of whom had history of a definite myocardial infarction occurring before they had reached age 60. Their only plasma lipid abnormality was a reduction of the cholesterol fraction associated with high-density lipoproteins (C-HDL) below the corresponding age-sex specific fifth percentile. We studied 57 other individuals including probands spouses and available first-degree relatives. All participants were clinically examined and their complete coronary risk factor profile was assessed. After a 12 hour fast, plasma samples were obtained for lipid analysis, total cholesterol and trïglycerides were measured by enzymatic methods, C-HDL was determined in the supernatant after plasma precipitation with magnesium chloride: phosphotungstic acid. Low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (C-LDL) was estimated with the formula proposed by DeLong. For every family a pedigree was constructed and statistically analyzed to assess the within-family clustering of low C-HDL levels and the pattern of transmission of the abnormal phenotypes. Mean C-HDL level for propositii was 24.3 mg/dl, the corresponding value for the C-LDL/C-HDL ratio (atherogenic index) was 4.9 and it was elevated above 3.5 (average coronary risk) in 7/10 (70%) of these patients. Obesity, defined by a Quetelet index above 28 in men and 26 in women was present in 4/10 (40%) of the probands, 3/10 (30%) had stable non insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus, prevalence figures for the other coronary risk factors was very low. In addition to probands, the hypoalphalipoproteinemic phenotype was found in 30/57 (52.6%) subjects including spouses (two cases) and first-degree relatives. For these 30 cases the mean C-HDL value was 32 mg/dl. In all ten reported kindred, we clearly observed either horizontal, vertical or both types of within-family transmission of the aberrant phenotype. This finding was considered to be most compatible with the presence of a primary genetic abnormality affecting C-HDL metabolism in all these kindreds in spite of the fact that some of the probands had some conditions like diabetes or obesity that are sometimes associated with secondary reductions of C-HDL. Due to the lack of a reliable biochemical marker, the distinction between primary and secondary hypoalphalipoproteinemia in individual cases is frequently impossible, for this reason the diagnostic assessment depends on family studies.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) constitutes the main cause of death in diabetes mellitus (DM): Previous studies at the "Instituto Nacional de Cardiología de México" have investigated the metabolic alterations of survivors of a myocardial infarction (MI), but none of them had focused on the metabolic profile of the diabetic patient. We compared two groups of patients with ischemic heart disease (IHD), one with (DMG) and one without (NDMG) Diabetes Mellitus, to investigate differences in the prevalence and nature of hyperlipoproteinemias (HLP) and other risk factors of atherosclerosis. DMG consisted of 117 patients (75 male, 42 female) and NDMG consisted of 119 patients (91 male y 28 female). (Female NDMG vs female DMG p less than 0.05). The presence of risks factors of atherosclerosis was investigated in all patients, and total cholesterol (chol) triglycerides (TG) and glucose were measured in post-absorptive phase. There were no differences regarding mean age (DMG: 60 +/- 8 years, NDM: 60 +/- 11 years), Quetelet Index (Kg./mt2: DMG: 26.5 +/- 3, NDMG: 26.7 +/- 3), TG: (DMG: 246.2 +/- 125, NDMG: 223.5 +/- 129) or Chol (DMG: 216 +/- 42 mg/dl, NDMG: 225 +/- 45 mg/dl). Hypertriglyceridemia was significantly higher in patients with DM, as a whole and when both sexes were studied separately (p less than 0.05). Hypercholesterolemia was significantly higher in NDMG (p less than 0.05) and without significance, in diabetic women. (p less than 0.05). Type IV phenotype was higher in DMG (p less than 0.05) whereas phenotypes IIa and IIa + IIb were more prevalent among non-diabetics (p less than 0.001, p less than 0.0001, respectively).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)