title: Fibrate therapy in patients with metabolic syndrome and diabetes mellitus.
abstract: Patients with metabolic syndrome and type 2 diabetes mellitus are usually in moderately high-risk, high-risk, or very high-risk cardiovascular categories and present major therapeutic challenges. The dyslipidemia in such patients is typically a disorder of the triglyceride/high-density lipoprotein axis (TG/HDL axis) characterized by an excess of triglyceride-rich lipoproteins and a reduction of HDL. Very often, lifestyle therapy and statin monotherapy fail to achieve guideline goals, necessitating combination therapies. Fibric acids (or fibrates), are agonists of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor alpha,which have amassed significant lipid-surrogate and clinical outcome trial data, especially in insulin-resistant patients, typical of those with metabolic syndrome or type 2 diabetes mellitus. Current guidelines advocate fibrate use as an add-on to statin therapy when TG/HDL abnormalities exist in such patients. In this paper, we review pertinent and recent trial data, mechanisms of action, and the safety of fibrate therapy.
authors.affiliation: North Jersey Institute of Menopausal Lipidology, 516 Hamburg Turnpike, Wayne, NJ 07470, USA. tdayspring@aol.com
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Dayspring
authors.forename: Gregory
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Pokrywka
mesh_terms: D008076:Cholesterol, HDL / Q000097:blood; D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic; D002995:Clofibric Acid / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D003924:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 / Q000097:blood / Q000150:complications / Q000188:drug therapy*; D006801:Humans; D000960:Hypolipidemic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D024821:Metabolic Syndrome / Q000097:blood / Q000150:complications / Q000188:drug therapy*; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014280:Triglycerides / Q000097:blood
chemical_list: D008076:Cholesterol, HDL; D000960:Hypolipidemic Agents; D014280:Triglycerides; D002995:Clofibric Acid