Pravastatin lowers serum cholesterol, cholesterol-precursor sterols, fecal steroids, and cholesterol absorption in man

Serum lipids, and absorption, intestinal fluxes, fecal elimination, and synthesis of cholesterol were studied before and during 4 weeks of pravastatin treatment at a dose of 40 mg/d in heterozygous familial hypercholesterolemic (FH) patients without (control group, n = 7) and with an ileal bypass (IBP group, n = 6). The drug reduced serum total and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol and LDL-apoprotein (apo)B levels up to 34%. Less-consistent decreases in intermediate-density lipoprotein (IDL) and very-low-density lipoprotein (VLDL) cholesterol were also seen. None of the control patients and two of the IBP patients became normolipidemic (LDL