Low-density lipoprotein cholesterol bulk is the pivotal determinant of atherosclerosis in familial hypercholesterolemia

This study’s aim was to determine whether biochemical risk factors such as lipoprotein(a), fibrinogen, homocysteine, and insulin, as well as low-density lipoprotein (LDL) particle size, were predictive of carotid intima-media thickness (IMT), an early marker of atherosclerosis, in subjects with familial hypercholesterolemia (FH). We also determined whether plasma 8-isoprostane, as a marker of in vivo lipid oxidation, correlated with carotid IMT. Twenty-two homozygous and 20 heterozygous subjects with FH were compared with 20 normocholesterolemic controls. On univariate analysis, plasma total and LDL cholesterol, the cholesterol-years score (CYS), lipoprotein(a), and fibrinogen, but not homocysteine or insulin, were positively related, and high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol was negatively related to carotid IMT. However, on multivariate analysis, only LDL cholesterol and the CYS predicted carotid IMT (multiple r = 0.82; r2= 0.68; p <0.0001). The subjects with FH had large rather than small dense LDL particles, and plasma 8-isoprostane levels were not increased. LDL cholesterol and the CYS, or “cholesterol bulk” are the pivotal determinants of atherosclerosis and are the strongest predictors of carotid IMT in FH.