Bempedoic acid were indicated to be able to reduce the hypercholesterolemia add on to statin and ezetimibe therapy. We investigated the effect of the same treatment in carotid atherosclerosis after a follow up of 6 months.
Methods
A continuous series of 22 patients were enrolled in a prospective analysis. All patients started a therapy with bempedoic acid for hypercholesterolemia add on to rosuvastatin or atorvastatin plus ezetimibe therapy for an insufficient reduction of cholesterol. The mean of LDL dosage was 101 mg/dl. All patients were high or very high-risk patient. In all patients the bempedoic acid was added to optimal medical therapy without new symptoms in ambulatory. The recruitment period was long 1 month. After the recruitment the patient was follow for other 6 month. At the start and at the end of the follow-up we evaluated. The atherosclerosis was evaluated in an ultrasound doppler of carotids The data was collect in excel and analysed by the Q-R-Calc program.
Results
The mean age of patients was 68 age, 44% female. 33% was diabetic patients. Hypertension was present in 73%, hypercholesterolemia in 100%. 11% was smokers. 94% were Caucasian patients. The mean of Weight was 75 kg at the first control. The mean height 174 cm. All patients performed a cardiological control in which the medical doctor prescribed bempedoic acid. 100% of patients assumed a statin, 100% ezetimibe. After 6 month the mean LDL was 78 mg/dl.
The doppler showed plaques in 89% of patients. The mean plaques occluded the lumen for 37% before the bempedoic acid and 30% after with a reduction of 7% (p:0,03%)
In 50% of patients, we revel a reduction of atherosclerosis (in this subgroup the reduction was 11%)
CONCLUSION
The bempedoic acid add on to statin therapy reduced the carotid.
atherosclerosis for 7% in a continuous series of 23 patients.