HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS		QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:

This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) Submit an electronic Letter to the Editor about this paper Alert me when this article is cited Alert me when eLetters are posted Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in ISI Web of Science Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via ISI Web of Science (5) Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Reiter, M. Articles by Bucek, R. A. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Reiter, M. Articles by Bucek, R. A. Related Collections Lipids, Lipoproteins, and Cardiovascular Risk Factors

Statin Therapy Has No Significant Effect on Skin Tissue Cholesterol: Results from a Prospective Randomized Trial

Clinic for Internal Medicine II, Department of Angiology, University of Vienna, Währinger Gürtel 18-20, A-1090 Vienna, Austria

^aauthor for correspondence: fax 43-1-40400-4665, e-mail markus.reiter@akh-wien.ac.at

The first 300 words of the full text of this article appear below.

Large-scale clinical trials have conclusively demonstrated that lowering serum cholesterol concentrations with statins slows the progression of atherosclerosis and promotes the regression and stabilization of atherosclerotic plaques, thus substantially reducing the rates of major vascular events among a wide range of patients (1)(2)(3).

Skin cholesterol (SkC) has previously been reported to be an additional independent marker of cardiovascular risk (4)(5)(6)(7)(8). The skin test is a quantitative interpretation of extracellular epidermal lipids, which are supplied from the circulation by a complex transport mechanism through dermal blood microcapillaries, the endothelial wall, the uppermost layers of the dermis, and the basement membrane, finally reaching the cells of the basal stratum (9). Thus, lipid-lowering therapy might also have an effect on epidermal lipid content.

Despite the growing interest in this potential new marker of cardiovascular risk, no study has investigated the effects of statins on SkC concentrations. One aim of the present study was to assess the natural midterm course of SkC concentrations prospectively. In addition, we evaluated the potential influence of statin therapy on SkC concentrations as well as potential differences between atorvastatin and simvastatin in a prospective randomized controlled trial.

Consecutive outpatients referred to the department of angiology of a tertiary care university hospital because of suspected vascular disease were eligible for the present prospective trial. Exclusion criteria included (a) current lipid-lowering therapy or lipid-lowering therapy within the last year; (b) age <18 years; (c) pregnancy; (d) psoriasis or eczema on either hand; (e) recent use (within 24 h before testing) of topical medication, as a cream or lotion, on either hand; (f) chronic liver disease or evidence of abnormal liver function . . . [Full Text of this Article]

The following articles in journals at HighWire Press have cited this article:

				M. Reiter, S. Wirth, A. Pourazim, S. Puchner, M. Baghestanian, E. Minar, and R. A. Bucek Skin tissue cholesterol is not related to vascular occlusive disease Vascular Medicine, May 1, 2007; 12(2): 129 - 134. [Abstract] [PDF]