Double-blind placebo-controlled study of the effects of bezafibrate on blood lipids, lipoproteins, and fibrinogen in hyperlipidaemic type 1 diabetes mellitus

The effects of bezafibrate 400 mg day-1 or placebo administered for 3 months, were compared in 36 patients with stable Type 1 diabetes and hypercholesterolaemia and/or hypertriglyceridaemia. Baseline characteristics of the 17 bezafibrate- and 19 placebo-treated patients were comparable in most respects with the exception of concentrations of fasting serum triglycerides and blood glucose which were lower (NS) and plasma fibrinogen which were higher (p less than 0.05), in those later treated with bezafibrate. Serum cholesterol concentrations decreased after 3 months bezafibrate treatment (from 7.1(0.2) (SE) to 6.3 (0.3) mmol l-1, p less than 0.05), predominantly due to a reduction in low density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol (from 4.8(0.3) to 4.2(0.3) mmol l-1, p less than 0.05). Over the same period bezafibrate reduced serum triglycerides from 1.78 (95% Cl 1.23-2.57) to 1.26(1.02-2.09) mmol l-1 (p less than 0.05), and plasma fibrinogen from 4.1(0.2) to 2.9(0.2) g l-1, p less than 0.001. Serum apolipoprotein B and apolipoprotein (a) showed no statistically significant changes. Overall there was no change in high density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol. However, in patients who were initially hypertriglyceridaemic there was significant increase in the cholesterol content of HDL and the HDL2-cholesterol subfraction (both p less than 0.05). After 3 months treatment with bezafibrate, fasting blood glucose levels were reduced from 8.5(1.1) to 6.4(0.7) mmol l-1, p less than 0.05, without any change in glycosylated haemoglobin (9.2(0.4) to 9.1(0.5)%).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)