Effects of simvastatin on plasma lipid, lipoprotein and apolipoprotein concentrations in hypercholesterolaemia

The effect of 24 weeks of treatment with simvastatin, a new HMG coenzyme A reductase inhibitor (dosages of 20 and40 mg day−1) on serum lipid, lipoprotein and apolipoprotein A-I and B concentrations as well as safety parameters and subjective side effects were studied in 11 patients with familial (FH) and 10 patients with polygenic hypercholesterolaemia (P-HC). The effects on plasma lipoprotein and apolipoprotein concentrations had already been achieved after four weeks in both groups and then remained during the study. In FH, mean fasting plasma total cholesterol concentration decreased from 10·51 to 6·71 mmol l−1 (36%), and in P-HC from 6·55 to 4·54 mmol l−1 (31%) at 24 weeks (P