title: Eicosapentaenoic acid effect on hyperlipidemia in menopausal Japanese women. The Niigata Epadel Study Group.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To assess the efficacy and safety of eicosapentaenoic acid for the treatment of hyperlipidemia in symptomatic menopausal Japanese women.
  
  
  METHODS
  We performed a prospective observational 48-week study in hyperlipidemic menopausal women. We randomly assigned 141 women, whose levels of serum total cholesterol were 220 to 280 mg/dL or whose serum triglycerides were 150 to 400 mg/dL at baseline to groups treated with estriol (E3) 2 mg daily (control group, n = 72) or ethyl icosapentate 1800 mg daily and E3 2 mg (eicosapentaenoic acid group, n = 69).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Serum levels of total cholesterol decreased significantly from 249.4 to 238.6 mg/dL (-4.3%, P =.003) in the control group and from 252.3 to 234.0 mg/dL (-7.3%, P =.001) in the study group at week 48 in the women whose total cholesterol was not less than 220 mg/dL at baseline. Serum levels of triglycerides decreased significantly from 194.5 to 141.5 mg/dL (-27. 2%, P =.001) in the study group but increased slightly from 192.9 to 207.4 mg/dL (+7.5%) in the control group at week 48 in the women whose level of triglycerides was not less than 150 mg/dL. There were significant differences between these two groups at weeks 12, 24, and 48. Serum levels of total cholesterol and triglycerides were significantly decreased at week 48 in the study group regardless of whether the women were obese. There were no severe adverse effects.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Combination therapy with eicosapentaenoic acid and E3 was effective and safe for menopausal women with hypertriglyceridemia.
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Niigata University School of Medicine, Niigata, Japan.
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kurabayashi
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Okada
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Tanaka
mesh_terms: D001053:Apolipoproteins / Q000097:blood; D002784:Cholesterol / Q000097:blood; D008076:Cholesterol, HDL / Q000097:blood; D008078:Cholesterol, LDL / Q000097:blood; D015118:Eicosapentaenoic Acid / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D004964:Estriol / Q000627:therapeutic use; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006949:Hyperlipidemias / Q000097:blood / Q000150:complications / Q000188:drug therapy*; D008593:Menopause / Q000097:blood*; D008875:Middle Aged; D009765:Obesity / Q000097:blood / Q000150:complications; D011446:Prospective Studies; D014280:Triglycerides / Q000097:blood
chemical_list: D001053:Apolipoproteins; D008076:Cholesterol, HDL; D008078:Cholesterol, LDL; D014280:Triglycerides; C035276:eicosapentaenoic acid ethyl ester; D002784:Cholesterol; D015118:Eicosapentaenoic Acid; D004964:Estriol