title: Cholesterol-lowering therapy may retard the progression of diabetic nephropathy.
abstract: There is experimental evidence to suggest that hypercholesterolaemia may play a pathogenetic role in progressive glomerular injury. We investigated the effect of cholesterol-lowering therapy on the progression of diabetic nephropathy in 34 patients with non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus. Patients were randomly assigned in a single-blind fashion to treatment with either lovastatin, an HMG CoA reductase inhibitor (n = 16; mean dose 30.0 +/- 12.6 mg/day) or placebo (n = 18) for 2 years. Renal function was assessed by serially measuring the serum creatinine, glomerular filtration rate (using Cr51-EDTA), and 24-h urinary protein excretion. Lovastatin treatment was associated with significant reductions in total cholesterol (p < 0.001), LDL-cholesterol (p < 0.001) and apo B (p < 0.01), the reductions at 24 months being 26, 30 and 18%, respectively. Beneficial effects on serum triglyceride, HDL-cholesterol and apo A1 levels were also observed. Lp(a) showed no significant change in both groups. Glomerular filtration rate deteriorated significantly in the placebo group after 24 months (p < 0.025) but showed no significant change in the lovastatin-treated patients. The increase in serum creatinine was statistically significant (p < 0.02) in placebo-treated patients at 12 and 24 months, and in the lovastatin group after 24 months. Twenty-four hour urinary protein excretion increased in both groups (p < 0.05). Lovastatin treatment was not associated with significant elevations in liver or muscle enzymes. We conclude that effective normalisation of hypercholesterolaemia may retard the progression of diabetic nephropathy.
mesh_terms: D000924:Anticholesteremic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D016632:Apolipoprotein A-I / Q000097:blood; D001053:Apolipoproteins / Q000097:blood; D001055:Apolipoproteins B / Q000097:blood; D053241:Apoprotein(a); D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000187:drug effects; D015992:Body Mass Index; D002784:Cholesterol / Q000097:blood; D008076:Cholesterol, HDL / Q000097:blood; D008078:Cholesterol, LDL / Q000097:blood; D003404:Creatinine / Q000097:blood; D003924:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 / Q000097:blood / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000503:physiopathology*; D003928:Diabetic Nephropathies / Q000517:prevention & control*; D003927:Diet, Diabetic; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D005919:Glomerular Filtration Rate / Q000187:drug effects*; D006442:Glycated Hemoglobin / Q000032:analysis; D006801:Humans; D019161:Hydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA Reductase Inhibitors; D017270:Lipoprotein(a); D008148:Lovastatin / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010919:Placebos; D016037:Single-Blind Method; D013997:Time Factors; D014280:Triglycerides / Q000097:blood
chemical_list: D000924:Anticholesteremic Agents; D016632:Apolipoprotein A-I; D001053:Apolipoproteins; D001055:Apolipoproteins B; D053241:Apoprotein(a); D002784:Cholesterol; D008076:Cholesterol, HDL; D008078:Cholesterol, LDL; D003404:Creatinine; D006442:Glycated Hemoglobin; D019161:Hydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA Reductase Inhibitors; D017270:Lipoprotein(a); D008148:Lovastatin; D010919:Placebos; D014280:Triglycerides