Kamal Awad1, Dimitri P Mikhailidis2, Niki Katsiki3, Paul Muntner4, Maciej Banach5,6,7. 1. Faculty of Medicine, Zagazig University, Zagazig, 44519, El-Sharkia, Egypt. kamal225244@medicine.zu.edu.eg. 2. Department of Clinical Biochemistry, University College London Medical School, University College London (UCL), Royal Free Campus, London, UK. 3. Second Propedeutic Department of Internal Medicine, Medical School, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Hippokration Hospital, Thessaloniki, Greece. 4. Department of Epidemiology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, USA. 5. Head Department of Hypertension, WAM University Hospital in Lodz, Medical University of Lodz (MUL), Lodz, Poland. 6. Polish Mother's Memorial Hospital Research Institute (PMMHRI), Lodz, Poland. 7. Cardiovascular Research Centre, University of Zielona Gora, Zielona Gora, Poland.
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Ezetimibe reduces plasma low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) levels by up to 20%. However, its effect on plasma lipoprotein(a) [Lp(a)] concentrations in patients with primary hypercholesterolemia has not been defined. OBJECTIVE: Therefore, we performed a systematic review and meta-analysis to assess this effect based on the available randomized controlled trials (RCTs). METHODS: We searched the PubMed and SCOPUS databases from inception until 28 February 2017 to identify RCTs that investigated the effect of ezetimibe monotherapy on plasma Lp(a) concentrations in patients with primary hypercholesterolemia. We pooled mean percentage changes in plasma Lp(a) concentrations as a mean difference (MD) with a 95% confidence interval (CI). RESULTS: Seven RCTs with 2337 patients met the selection criteria and were included in the analysis. Overall pooled analysis suggested that ezetimibe 10 mg significantly reduced plasma Lp(a) concentrations in patients with primary hypercholesterolemia by - 7.06% (95% CI - 11.95 to - 2.18; p = 0.005) compared with placebo. No significant heterogeneity was observed (χ2 = 5.34; p = 0.5). Excluding one study from the analysis resulted in insignificant differences between the two groups (p = 0.2). Meta-regression did not find a significant association between the mean percentage changes in Lp(a) and other potential moderator variables, which included the mean percentage changes of LDL-C concentrations (p = 0.06) and baseline Lp(a) mean values (p = 0.46). CONCLUSIONS: Ezetimibe monotherapy (10 mg/day) showed a small (7.06%) but statistically significant reduction in the plasma levels of Lp(a) in patients with primary hypercholesterolemia. According to current literature, this magnitude of reduction seems to have no clinical relevance. However, further studies are warranted to clarify the mechanism mediating this effect of ezetimibe and to investigate its efficacy in combination with other drugs that have shown promise in lowering Lp(a) levels.
BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Ezetimibe reduces plasma low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) levels by up to 20%. However, its effect on plasma lipoprotein(a) [Lp(a)] concentrations in patients with primary hypercholesterolemia has not been defined. OBJECTIVE: Therefore, we performed a systematic review and meta-analysis to assess this effect based on the available randomized controlled trials (RCTs). METHODS: We searched the PubMed and SCOPUS databases from inception until 28 February 2017 to identify RCTs that investigated the effect of ezetimibe monotherapy on plasma Lp(a) concentrations in patients with primary hypercholesterolemia. We pooled mean percentage changes in plasma Lp(a) concentrations as a mean difference (MD) with a 95% confidence interval (CI). RESULTS: Seven RCTs with 2337 patients met the selection criteria and were included in the analysis. Overall pooled analysis suggested that ezetimibe 10 mg significantly reduced plasma Lp(a) concentrations in patients with primary hypercholesterolemia by - 7.06% (95% CI - 11.95 to - 2.18; p = 0.005) compared with placebo. No significant heterogeneity was observed (χ2 = 5.34; p = 0.5). Excluding one study from the analysis resulted in insignificant differences between the two groups (p = 0.2). Meta-regression did not find a significant association between the mean percentage changes in Lp(a) and other potential moderator variables, which included the mean percentage changes of LDL-C concentrations (p = 0.06) and baseline Lp(a) mean values (p = 0.46). CONCLUSIONS:Ezetimibe monotherapy (10 mg/day) showed a small (7.06%) but statistically significant reduction in the plasma levels of Lp(a) in patients with primary hypercholesterolemia. According to current literature, this magnitude of reduction seems to have no clinical relevance. However, further studies are warranted to clarify the mechanism mediating this effect of ezetimibe and to investigate its efficacy in combination with other drugs that have shown promise in lowering Lp(a) levels.
Authors: Maciej Banach; Paweł Burchardt; Krzysztof Chlebus; Piotr Dobrowolski; Dariusz Dudek; Krzysztof Dyrbuś; Mariusz Gąsior; Piotr Jankowski; Jacek Jóźwiak; Longina Kłosiewicz-Latoszek; Irina Kowalska; Maciej Małecki; Aleksander Prejbisz; Michał Rakowski; Jacek Rysz; Bogdan Solnica; Dariusz Sitkiewicz; Grażyna Sygitowicz; Grażyna Sypniewska; Tomasz Tomasik; Adam Windak; Dorota Zozulińska-Ziółkiewicz; Barbara Cybulska Journal: Arch Med Sci Date: 2021-11-08 Impact factor: 3.318