Results of a two-month follow-up after single heparin-induced extracorporeal LDL precipitation in vascular dementia.
A trial was undertaken with 44 patients with the diagnosis of cerebral multi-infarct dementia. Of these, 24 had been exposed to single heparin-induced extracorporeal low-density lipoprotein (LDL) precipitation (HELP) whereby an immediate, safe, and statistically significant reduction of total cholesterol, LDL, triglycerides, fibrinogen (<0.0001 each), lipoprotein (a) (p < 0.003), whole-blood viscosity (p < 0.005 at high shear and p < 0.007 at low shear rate), plasma viscosity (p < 0.0002) and red cell transit time (p < 0.0001) to between 17.9% and 58.8% could be obtained within 2 h. Even an amelioration in the neuropsychological state, objectified by the Mathew Scale (p < 0.01), the Mini-Mental State Examination (p < 0.03), and the Activities-of-Daily-Living Test (p < 0.05) was observed. Despite the fact that the laboratory parameters had reached their pretreatment values within 10 days after the HELP procedure, the scores of the test battery remained stable during a follow-up period of 2 months. Within a control group (n = 20), no changes in laboratory data or in test scoring could be observed.
From the Department of Neurology, Karl-Franzens University Graz, Graz, Austria.
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Walzl
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Walzl
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Lechner