Background:Anecdotal evidence indicates that significant lowering of LDL-cholesterol by means of LDL apheresis may reduce the level of microalbuminuria in heterozygous familial hypercholesterolemia. We therefore examined whether treatment with the most potent LDL-lowering drug available (atorvastatin) has a similar effect on the level of microalbuminuria.Material/Methods:In a case series, 100 patients with familial heterozygous hypercholesterolemia were started on 10 mg atorvastatin. 62 patients were switched to 40 mg atorvastatin once in the evening when the LDL-cholesterol treatment goals were not reached within 1 month.Results:Baseline serum creatinine clearance significantly improved after 1, 3 and 6 months, while serum urea and serum creatinine were unchanged. Blood pressure exhibited a lowering trend. After one month of treatment, the mean level of microalbuminuria was significantly improved in both dose regimens, showing further improvement after 3 months and stabilizing thereafter.Conclusions:These data indicate that significant lowering of LDL-cholesterol with atorvastatin may favorably affect kidney function, in particular microalbuminuria as a measure of endothelial function. It remains to be seen whether this effect can be attributed to lipid lowering alone.

Keywords: Albuminuria - drug therapy, Anticholesteremic Agents - therapeutic use, Blood Glucose - metabolism, Case-Control Studies, Cholesterol, LDL - blood, Creatinine - blood, Heptanoic Acids - therapeutic use, Hyperlipoproteinemia Type II - drug therapy, Hyperlipoproteinemia Type II - physiopathology, Pyrroles - therapeutic use