“Eve is not Adam” – differences in efficacy, safety and clinical outcomes with lipoprotein apheresis between sexes

In Familial Hypercholesterolemia (FH), female atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease occurs 20 years earlier than in women without FH. The aim of this study is to describe the differences in lipoprotein apheresis (LA), a last therapeutic option, in terms of efficacy, safety and clinical outcomes between the two sexes.

Sex related differences were analysed in 31 subjects in on LA treatment with FH and not achieving LDL-cholesterol and/or Lp(a) target values on maximum lipid-lowering therapies. Moreover, sex related differences in time to major cardiovascular event (MACE) was investigated in 68 subjects, with at least one year of follow-up.

Among the 31 patients currently undergoing LA treatment who did not achieve LDL-cholesterol and/or Lp(a) target values, no differences in comorbidity were recorded despite a worse pre-LA treatment lipid profile (LDL-C 77 ± 60 mg/dl in males vs. 128 ± 105 mg/dl in females; p 0.025) and a longer mean inter-apheresis interval (17 ± 4 days in males vs. 19 ± 5 days in females; p 0.012) reported in females compared to males. Additionally, in comparison with men, it was found that the time between the first cardiovascular event and the beginning of LA, as well as the age at the beginning of LA, were significantly higher in females than in males (p 0.027 and 0.007, respectively).

Sex differences in FH subjects not only affect the diagnosis and treatment but also influence varied responses to the treatment itself.