Is there any indication for plasmapheresis in the treatment of dyslipidemia?
Low density lipoprotein (LDL) apheresis should be the treatment of choice for patients that are homozygotic for familial hypercholesterolemia (FH). Therapy is initiated from age 7 unless their serum cholesterol can be reduced by more than 50% (or decreased to <9 mmol/L, 350 mg/dL) by drug therapy. It is also indicated in individual patients with either heterozygous FH or a family history of premature cardiac death, progressive coronary disease, and where LDL cholesterol remains higher than 5.0 mmol/L (193 mg/dL) or is decreased by less than 40% with maximal drug therapy.
