@article{3032515,
    title = "Carotid Artery Temperature Reduction with Statin Therapy in Patients
with Familial Hyperlipidemia Syndromes",
    author = "Benetos, Georgios and Galanakos, Spyros and Koutagiar, Iosif and and Skoumas, Ioannis and Oikonomou, Georgios and Drakopoulou, Maria and and Karmpalioti, Maria and Katsi, Vasiliki and Tsioufis, Costas and and Toutouzas, Konstantinos",
    journal = "Journal of Clinical Medicine Research",
    year = "2021",
    volume = "10",
    number = "21",
    publisher = "MDPI",
    issn = "1918-3003, 1918-3011",
    doi = "10.3390/jcm10215008",
    keywords = "microwave radiometry; carotid; vulnerable plaque; familial
hypercholesterolemia",
    abstract = "Background: Microwave radiometry (MWR) assesses non-invasive carotid
artery temperatures reflecting inflammation. In the present study, we
aimed to investigate the impact of hypolipidemic therapy either with
simvastatin or with combination simvastatin plus ezetimibe on carotid
artery temperatures of patients with familial hyperlipidemia syndromes
(FHS). Methods: Consecutive patients with diagnosis of either familial
heterozygous hypercholesterolemia (heFH) or familial combined
hyperlipidemia (FCH) were included in the study. Patients were assigned
to either simvastatin 40 mg or simvastatin 40 mg plus ezetimibe 10 mg,
according to the discretion of the physician. FHS patients who refused
statin therapy were used as a control group. Common carotid intima-media
thickness (ccIMT) was measured and Delta tau (maximum-minimum)
temperature measurements were performed across each carotid during MWR
evaluation. RESULTS: In total, 115 patients were included in the study.
Of them, 40 patients received simvastatin (19 heFH and 21 FCH), 41
simvastatin + ezetimibe (31 heFH and 10 FCH), and 34 (21 heFH and 13
FCH) no statin. Carotid artery temperatures were significantly reduced
at 6 months in FH patients who received hypolipidemic treatment (0.83
+/- 0.34 versus 0.63 +/- 0.24 degrees C, p = 0.004 for simvastatin, 1.00
+/- 0.38 versus 0.69 +/- 0.23 degrees C, p < 0.001 for simvastatin +
ezetimibe), but no change was recorded in controls (0.72 +/- 0.26 versus
0.70 +/- 0.26 degrees C, p = 0.86). Conclusions: Hypolipidemic therapy
reduced carotid temperatures in FHS patients."
}