Treatment with Probucol of Children with Familial Hypercholesterolemia

Abstract

Nine children with familial hypercholesterolaemia, age range 2 to 12 years, were treated with a low cholesterol diet and probucol (10 mg/kg/day). The year before, the children received, as only treatment, a low fat-cholesterol diet. During this period their mean plasma total cholesterol level fell from 8.2 +/- 1.45 mmol/l to 7.17 +/- 0.84 mmol/l (12.6%). This level was further reduced to 5.92 +/- 0.63 mmol/l (17.1%) after the addition of probucol. Plasma high density lipoprotein cholesterol levels were lowered in absolute terms but not in relation to total cholesterol. No apparent side effects were observed. However, the use of probucol should be restricted for the moment to severe cases of hypercholesterolaemia as the long-term excretion of the drug in children is not yet known.