HYPERLIPIDEMIA AFTER RENAL-TRANSPLANTATION - TREATMENT WITH GEMFIBROZIL

Thirty-eight renal allograft recipients who had persistent hyperlipidemia and stable renal function 27.8 +/- 18.2 months after renal transplantation were treated with gemfibrozil. Gemfibrozil therapy resulted in a decrease in the levels of total cholesterol (TC; 297.6+/-41.0 mg/dl to 249.2+/-43.7 mg/dl, -16.3%; p<0.0001), triglyceride (TG; 231.9+/-116.8 to 125.7+/-58.4 mg/dl, -45.8%, p<0.0005), and LDL-cholesterol (LDL-C; 203.8+/-37.4 to 174.5+/-42.5 mg/dl, -14.4%; p = 0.001), which were sustained for 29.1+/-16.0 months. Comparison of sequential lipid profiles between gemfibrozil-treated individuals and untreated hyperlipidemic controls matched for age, sex, time after transplantation, and the degree of hyperlipidemia, showed that gemfibrozil-treated patients had lower levels of TC (239.9+/-39.5 vs. 272.8+/-34.1 mg/dl; p<0.005), TG (125.7+/-67.3 vs. 167.3 +/-69.0 mg/dl; p<0.05), and LDL-C (160.2+/-41.3 vs. 185.3+/-26.6 mg/dl; p<0.05) on serial follow-up. No significant side-effect was observed with gemfibrozil therapy. Our data showed that gemfibrozil was a safe and effective drug for the treatment of hyperlipidemia in renal allograft recipients, which could reduce these patients's long-term cardiovascular risks.