title: Non-invasive vessel examinations in carriers of LDL-receptor defective gene versus non-carriers with newly detected asymptomatic severe hypercholesterolemia.
abstract: The results of the research of early vascular alterations in LDL-R carriers in comparison with those in non-carriers with severe hypercholesterolemia are controversial.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the difference between severe hypercholesterolemia patients that carry LDL-R defective gene and those that do not have it, in their functional (flow-mediated vasodilation) and structural (intima-media thickness of carotid artery and ankle-brachial index) characteristics of arterial wall.
  
  
  METHODS
  The study included 120 hypercholesterolemic patients. Biochemistry parameters were studied by routine methods. The flow-mediated vasodilation (%FMD), ankle-brachial index (ABI) and intima-media thickness (IMT) of common carotid artery were determined using Hewlett Packard Sonos 5 500; MedicaSoft. IMT.lab was the software programme used in the study.
  
  
  RESULTS
  There was no significant difference between the groups with respect to total cholesterol, LDL, HDL, Apo-B, Apo-A1, cellular adhesion molecules (sICAM-1, sVCAM-1, sP- and sE-selectine). The Apo-B/Apo A1 index differed significantly (t = 11.23, p < 0.001) between the two groups; there was difference even after adjustment for age. There was no significant difference in the endothelial dependent and independent vasodilatation between the examined groups (p > 0.05). We found a significantly greater carotid IMT and lower ABI in the carriers than the respective parameters in the non-carriers. This significant difference was confirmed after adjustment for age.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our data show that LDL-R carriers have a higher carotid IMT and lower ABI than non-carriers, whereas no difference between the groups was found with respect to the level of lipid parameters and %FMD.
authors.affiliation: Clinic of Cardiology, Medical University, Plovdiv, Bulgaria.
authors.forename: Lyudmila G
authors.initials: LG
authors.lastname: Vladimirova-Kitova
authors.forename: Tania I
authors.initials: TI
authors.lastname: Deneva-Koicheva
authors.forename: Fedya P
authors.initials: FP
authors.lastname: Nikolov
authors.forename: Varban S
authors.initials: VS
authors.lastname: Ganev
mesh_terms: D055109:Ankle Brachial Index; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000032:analysis; D001783:Blood Flow Velocity; D017536:Carotid Artery, Common / Q000473:pathology*; D002353:Carrier State; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006937:Hypercholesterolemia / Q000235:genetics* / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011973:Receptors, LDL / Q000235:genetics*; D012984:Software; D017539:Tunica Intima / Q000473:pathology; D017540:Tunica Media / Q000473:pathology; D014664:Vasodilation
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D011973:Receptors, LDL