Long-Term Treatment of Hyperlipidemic Patients With Clofibrate

Abstract

In 50 hyperlipidemic patients who responded to clofibrate during a three-month trial period, the medication was continued for six to eight years. Eight of the subjects had essential hypercholesterolemia. The remainder had elevations of both the cholesterol and triglyceride levels. Normalization of the serum cholesterol level occurred in each patient and was maintained throughout the entire treatment period. Each of the 42 subjects with hypertriglyceridemia had at least a 25% reduction in those levels; normal values resulted in 38. A reduction in the serum uric acid level and improvement in oral glucose tolerance was also produced in more than 65% of those in whom these were abnormal initially. No evidence of clinical toxic reactions was present in any case.