Effects of Fenofibrate Treatment on Aortic Stiffness in Patients with Pure Hypertriglyceridemia

Abstract

Introduction: Hypertriglyceridemia is known as an independent risk factor for coronary artery disease (CAD). Fenofibrate that is used for the treatment of hypertriglyceridemia can prevent cardiovascular events in patients with CAD. However, there is little information regarding the vascular effects of fenofibrate on arterial wall stiffness in patients with hypertriglyceridemia and without CAD, diabetes mellitus (DT), and hypertension (HT). The objective of this study is to evaluate the effects of fenofibrate treatment on the arterial stiffness in the patients with pure hypertriglyceridemia. Patients and Methods: We included 37 patients with hypertriglyceridemia without CAD, HT, and DT in this study. We performed pre- and post-treament physical examination of the patients and took their blood samples. Patients were allocated fenofibrate for a duration of 168 ± 14 days for its administration. We assessed arterial stiffness by aortic pulse wave velocity (PWV) using a SphygmoCor device. Importantly, we estimated central arterial pressure waveform parameters by radial artery applanation tonometry and used augmentation index (AIx) as a measure of wave reflections. Results: Fenofibrate treatment resulted in significantly greater reductions in total cholesterol (201.3 ± 61.0 mg/dL vs. 270.0 ± 93.4 mg/dL), triglycerides (261.3 ± 234.3 mg/dL vs. 704.7 ± 338.7 mg/dL), and the C/H levels (5.3 ± 2.6 vs. 7.2 ± 1.9, respectively) as compared with the pretreatment levels (p 0.05). There was a significant reduction in PWV after fenofibrate treatment (11.3 ± 2.9 m/s vs. 9.2 ± 2.2 m/s, p= 0.001). Conclusion: Fenofibrate treatment appears to effectively improve the arterial wall stiffness in the patients with pure hypertriglyceridemia.