Eicosapentaenoic acid effect on hyperlipidemia in menopausal Japanese women

Objective: To assess the efficacy and safety of eicosapentaenoic acid for t he treatment of hyperlipidemia in symptomatic menopausal Japanese women. Methods: We performed a prospective observational 48-week study in hyperlip idemic menopausal women. We randomly assigned 141 women, whose levels of se rum total cholesterol were 220 to 280 mg/dL or whose serum triglycerides we re 150 to 400 mg/dL at baseline to groups treated with estriol (E3) 2 mg da ily (control group, n = 72) or ethyl icosapentate 1800 mg daily and E3 2 mg (eicosapentaenoic acid group, n = 69). Results: Serum levels of total cholesterol decreased significantly from 249 .4 to 238.6 mg/dL (-4.3%, P = .003) in the control group and from 252.3 to 234.0 mg/dL (-7.3%, P = .001) in the study group at week 48 in the women wh ose total cholesterol was not less than 220 mg/dL at baseline. Serum levels of triglycerides decreased significantly from 194.5 to 141.5 mg/dL (-27.2% , P = .001) in the study group but increased slightly from 192.9 to 207.4 m g/dL (+7.5%) in the control group at week 48 in the women whose level of tr iglycerides was not less than 150 mg/dL. There were significant differences between these two groups at weeks 12, 24, and 48. Serum levels of total ch olesterol and triglycerides were significantly decreased at week 48 in the study group regardless of whether the women were obese. There were no sever e adverse effects. Conclusion: Combination therapy with eicosapentaenoic acid and E3 was effec tive and safe for menopausal women with hypertriglyceridemia. (Obstet Gynec ol 2000;96:521-8. (C) 2000 by The American College of Obstetricians and Gyn ecologists.).