Apheresis-inducible cytokine pattern change in children with homozygous familial hypercholesterolemia.

Familial hypercholesterolemia is a genetic disorder that leads to severe atherosclerosis related cardiovascular complications in young adults. Extracorporeal elimination is a method of LDL-lowering procedures effective in patients with homozygous or severe heterozygous FH utilized in cases. The recruitment of leucocytes into the arterial intima is dependent on a cascade of events mediated through a diverse family of adhesion molecules. Several pro-inflammatory adhesion molecules are cleared by various lipid apheresis methods. This study showed that, LDL-apheresis led to several changes in circulating inflammatory factors which induced antiinflammatory and antiatherogenic changes in the plasma profile in homozygous familial hypercholesterolemic patients.