Plasma exchange in the treatment of heterozygous familial hypercholesterolaemia

Plasma exchange in a patient with heterozygous familial hypercholesterolaemia resistant to drug therapy

A 40-year-old male with heterozygous familial hypercholesterolaemia was resistant to combined drug treatment with cholestyramine and nicotinic acid in adequate doses. He had angina pectoris and evidence of three vessel disease in the coronary angiogram. Repeated plasma exchange at intervals of 1-3 weeks simultaneously with combined drug treatment decreased the plasma cholesterol levels by nearly 40%. There were also signs of regression of xanthomata and some improvement of his angina pectoris. No progression of atherosclerosis was seen angiographically after two years treatment. Plasma exchange may be a therapeutic alternative in drug-resistant familial hypercholesterolaemia.

Selective removal of triglyceride-rich lipoproteins by plasmapheresis in diabetic patients with severe hypertriglyceridemia

Two diabetic patients with marked intractable hypertriglyceridemia under treatment with hemodialysis for chronic renal failure were treated by either an apolipoprotein B-dependent removal of lipoproteins using dextran sulfate cellulose column plasmapheresis or a size-dependent removal of lipoproteins using hollow-fiber filtration plasmapheresis. In one patient, a column packed with hollow fibers was used as a plasma separator and a dextran sulfate cellulose column as an adsorbent. In another patient, because the hollow-fiber column did not separate plasma from whole blood, a centrifuge-type blood cell separator was used for the plasma separation. The amounts of plasma cholesterol, triglycerides, and phospholipids removed by plasmapheresis were 30%, 33%, and 30%, respectively, when the combination of a hollow-fiber column and a dextran sulfate cellulose column was used. Corresponding values were 31%, 29%, and 27%, respectively, when the combination of the centrifuge-type blood cell separator and the hollow-fiber column was used. The efficiency of lipid removal was almost the same with both techniques. As for plasma separation, the centrifuge-type blood cell separator was more efficient than the hollow-fiber column. Some losses of albumin and platelets were observed when combination plasmapheresis using the centrifuge-type blood cell separator and the hollow-fiber column was performed. In conclusion, we prefer the centrifuge-type blood cell separator to the hollow-fiber column for plasma separation of marked hypertriglyceridemia. The second filter must be chosen for each patient according to the size of the lipoproteins.

Hypercholesterolemia and atherosclerosis: present and future therapy including LDL-apheresis

Atherosclerosis-induced coronary heart disease remains the major cause of death and disability in industrialized countries. Hypercholesterolemia is recognized as a causative factor in the development of atherosclerosis. While the lowering of cholesterol levels as a treatment goal has met with general agreement and acceptance, the preferred methods for doing so are still open to conjecture. This literature review discusses various factors in the hypercholesterolemia-atherosclerosis link and surveys a variety of treatment protocols including diet modification, drug therapy, surgical intervention, and plasmapheresis. Evidence is accumulating to prove that the ideal hypercholesterolemia therapy is one that reduces LDL levels while maintaining or increasing HDL levels. Because LDL-apheresis has this potential, this paper also reviews the various LDL-apheresis methods, including immunoadsorption, chemical affinity, and double-membrane filtration.