Low-density lipoprotein apheresis retards the progression of hyperlipidemic overt diabetic nephropathy.
BACKGROUND
Hyperlipidemia has recently received attention as being involved in the progression of diabetic nephropathy (DN). Low-density lipoprotein apheresis (LDL-A) can remove a large amount of plasma lipid directly from the patients in a short time.


METHODS
Fifteen type 2 diabetic patients with overt nephropathy received LDL-A in two different manners: short-term intensive therapy (SIT) for nine patients and long-term intermittent therapy (LIT) for six patients.


RESULTS
The changes in the monthly decline rates of reciprocal serum creatinine (1/Cr) were -0.035 +/- 0.020 in the three-month period before SIT, 0.047 +/- 0.041 during and until two weeks after SIT, and -0.035 +/- 0.015 after a period of two weeks from the therapy. The mean duration of LIT in six patients was 8.2 +/- 7.4 months, and the mean monthly decline rates of 1/Cr significantly decreased during the period of LIT as compared with the six-month period before the treatment.


CONCLUSIONS
LDL-A can retard the progression of overt DN, especially when it is performed repeatedly for a long period at two-week intervals.
Nakao
T
T
Department of Nephrology, Tokyo Medical University, Japan.
Yoshino
M
M
Matsumoto
H
H
Okada
T
T
Han
M
M
Hidaka
H
H
Shino
T
T
Yamada
C
C
Nagaoka
Y
Y
Miyahara
T
T
D000368:Aged; D001781:Blood Component Removal; D002784:Cholesterol / Q000097:blood; D003404:Creatinine / Q000097:blood; D003928:Diabetic Nephropathies / Q000097:blood / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy*; D018450:Disease Progression; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006949:Hyperlipidemias / Q000097:blood*; D007668:Kidney / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology; D008055:Lipids / Q000097:blood; D008077:Lipoproteins, LDL / Q000097:blood*; D008079:Lipoproteins, VLDL / Q000097:blood; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D013997:Time Factors; D014280:Triglycerides / Q000097:blood
D008055:Lipids; D008077:Lipoproteins, LDL; D008079:Lipoproteins, VLDL; D014280:Triglycerides; D002784:Cholesterol; D003404:Creatinine