Statin therapy and lipids-lowering supplements – safe and effective treatment of lipids disturbances in children

INTRODUCTION: There is a significant correlation between elevated LDL cholesterol (LDL-C) levels sustained from childhood and future vascular disease. The study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of the therapy chosen for children with lipid disorders. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The study group consisted of 37 children with increased LDL-C (13 boys) aged 8.99 ±4.03 years. After 6 months of behavioral treatment, study group was divided into G1 (n = 24) which continued non-pharmacological treatment supported by dietary supplements and G2 (n = 13) in which statin (5–10 mg/day) was added to non-pharmacological treatment. Analysis included: BMI Z-score, total cholesterol (TCh), LDL-C, HDL cholesterol (HDL-C) and triglycerides (TG) measured at several time points. RESULTS: The concentrations of TCh and LDL-C before treatment were significantly higher in G2 than in G1 (p < 0.001). Due to the treatment, these differences were no longer noticeable at the last visit. In G1 and G2 concentrations of TCh and LDL-C were reduced significantly, greater reduction after the treatment in TCh and LDL-C was observed in G2 than in G1. Moreover, in G1 we noticed reduction of TG after treatment (p < 0.05). The BMI Z-score did not change significantly through the treatment in both groups. G1 also showed a significant negative correlation between BMI Z-score and HDL-C before and after treatment (r = –0.57, p = 0.009; r = –0.52, p = 0.02). Same relationship was noticed also in G2 after treatment (r = 0.67, p = 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: In children with dyslipidemia, regardless of its background, statin therapy is the most effective in lowering LDL-C. However, therapy with lipids-lowering supplements seems to be safe and effective.