ABSTRACT
To investigate the influence of ezetimibe monotherapy on remnant-like particle cholesterol [RLP-C] in subjects with metabolic syndrome [MetS]. Ezetimibe [10 mg/daily] was prescribed over a 12-week period for hypercholesterolemic subjects divided into groups with MetS [n = 28; male/female = 13/15; mean age 67 years] and without MetS [n = 22; male/female = 9/13; mean age 66 years]. In the pre- and post-treatment phases, BMI, blood pressure and fasting blood levels of glucose, lipid panels and RLP-C were measured. The group with MetS showed significantly higher RLP-C levels than the group without MetS [median level: 0.18 vs. 0.12 mmol/l [7.1 vs. 4.4 mg/dl], p < 0.01] in the pre-treatment phase. In the post-treatment phase, the low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels were significantly reduced in both groups to a similar level [p < 0.001 in both], while there was a significantly greater reduction in RLP-C in the group with MetS than the group without MetS [median level: 0.12 vs. 0.11 mmol/l [4.8 vs. 4.1 mg/dl], p < 0.05]. This difference in RLP-C remained significant after adjusting for confounding factors. Ezetimibe monotherapy may be associated with a greater reduction in RLP-C levels in subjects with MetS than in those without MetS