Tne effect of cholesterol-lowering therapy with atorvastatin on endothelium-dependent relaxing function in patients with hypercholesterolemia

AIM:To investigate the effect of cholesterol lowering therapy with atorvastatin on endothelium dependent relaxing function in patients with hypercholesterolemia(HTC). METHODS:With high resolution ultrasound,we measured endothelium dependent relaxing function in 60 subjects:30 with normal blood cholesterol and the others with established primary HTC. RESULTS:In patients with primary HTC,flow mediated dilatation in arteries was markedly reduced comparied with the control group(3.4%±2.6% vs 13.8%±3.8%, P 0.01),However,there was no significant difference in the response to nitroglycerin between the two groups( P 0.05). The 30 HTC patients were studied before and after cholesterol lowering therapy with atorvastatin for 12 weeks,during which serum TC lowered from 6.3±0.6 mmol/L to 5.0±0.5 mmol/L(P0.01),TG lowered from 1.8±0.4 mmol/L to 1.5±0.6 mmol/L( P 0.05), and LDL C?lowered from 4.2±0.5 mmol/L to 3.0±0.6 mmol/L( P 0.01). Flow mediated vasodilations were greater after the atorvastatin therapy than before it (11.6±3.3% vs 3.4±2.6%, P 0.01). There was no significant change in vasodilations response to nitroglycerin after the cholesterol lowering therapy( P 0.05). CONCLUSION:Endothelium dependent vasoldilation was impaired in patients with primary HTC,and cholesterol lowering therapy with atorvastatin may the improve impaired endothelium dependent vasodilation.