Premium
Double‐blind Placebo‐controlled Study of the Effects of Bezafibrate on Blood Lipids, Lipoproteins, and Fibrinogen in Hyperlipidaemic Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus
Author(s) -
Winocour P.H.,
Durrington P.N.,
Bhatnagar D.,
Ishola M.,
Arrol S.,
Lalor B.C.,
Anderson D.C.
Publication year - 1990
Publication title -
diabetic medicine
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.474
H-Index - 145
eISSN - 1464-5491
pISSN - 0742-3071
DOI - 10.1111/j.1464-5491.1990.tb01479.x
Subject(s) - bezafibrate , medicine , endocrinology , apolipoprotein b , fibrinogen , cholesterol , placebo , diabetes mellitus , apolipoprotein a1 , hypertriglyceridemia , lipoprotein , triglyceride , alternative medicine , pathology
The effects of bezafibrate 400 mg day −1 or placebo administered for 3 months, were compared in 36 patients with stable Type 1 diabetes and hypercholesterolaemia and/or hypertriglyceridaemia. Baseline characteristics of the 17 bezafibrate‐ and 19 placebo‐treated patients were comparable in most respects with the exception of concentrations of fasting serum triglycerides and blood glucose which were lower (NS) and plasma fibrinogen which were higher ( p < 0.05), in those later treated with bezafibrate. Serum cholesterol concentrations decreased after 3 months bezafibrate treatment (from 7.1 (0.2) (SE) to 6.3 (0.3) mmol l −1 , p < 0.05), predominantly due to a reduction in low density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol (from 4.8(0.3) to 4.2(0.3) mmol l −1 , p < 0.05). Over the same period bezafibrate reduced serum triglycerides from 1.78 (95% CI 1.23‐2.57) to 1.26(1.02‐2.09) mmol l −1 ( p < 0.05), and plasma fibrinogen from 4.1(0.2) to 2.9(0.2) g l −1 , p < 0.001. Serum apolipoprotein B and apolipoprotein (a) showed no statistically significant changes. Overall there was no change in high density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol. However, in patients who were initially hypertriglyceridaemic there was significant increase in the cholesterol content of HDL and the HDL 2 ‐cholesterol subfraction (both p < 0.05). After 3 months treatment with bezafibrate, fasting blood glucose levels were reduced from 8.5(1.1) to 6.4(0.7) mmol l −1 , p < 0.05, without any change in glycosylated haemoglobin (9.2(0.4) to 9.1(0.5) %). At the end of the 3 months active treatment period, significant differences were recorded between the bezafibrate‐ and placebo‐treated groups for the following variables: fasting blood glucose ( p < 0.001), very low density lipoprotein (VLDL) cholesterol, serum triglycerides, apolipoprotein B, HDL 2 ‐and HDL 3 ‐cholesterol and plasma fibrinogen (all p < 0.05). It is concluded that in Type 1 diabetic patients with hyperlipidaemia, bezafibrate is an effective serum lipoprotein modifying agent, and has a potentially important effect in reducing fibrinogen levels.