The Effect of Atorvastatin on Cardiometabolic Risk Factors in Bromocriptine-Treated Premenopausal Women with Isolated Hypercholesterolemia.

AIMS: Hyperprolactinemia is often associated with hyperinsulinemia, insulin resistance, atherogenic dyslipidemia, and subclinical atherosclerosis. Dopamine agonists were found to reduce the prevalence of metabolic syndrome and cardiometabolic risk. The aim of this study was to compare the effect of statin therapy on cardiovascular risk factors between patients treated with a dopamine agonist and patients treated with metformin.

METHODS: The study included two age-, weight-, lipid-, and prolactin level-matched groups of premenopausal women with hypecholesterolemia and a history of hyperprolactinemia: patients treated with bromocriptine (5.0-7.5 mg daily, n = 14) and subjects receiving metformin (1.7-2.55 g daily, n = 17). Plasma prolactin, lipids, glucose homeostasis markers, and plasma levels of cardiometabolic risk factors were assessed before and after 12 weeks of atorvastatin treatment.

RESULTS: Baseline levels of the investigated variables were similar in women treated with bromocriptine and metformin. Apart from lowering total and LDL cholesterol, atorvastatin decreased plasma levels of uric acid, hsCRP, homocysteine, and fibrinogen, with no difference between treatment groups.

CONCLUSIONS: The obtained results suggest that the effect of atorvastatin on plasma lipids and circulating levels of cardiometabolic risk factors does not differ between patients receiving bromocriptine and metformin. Bromocriptine-statin combination therapy may be an alternative to metformin-statin combination therapy in hypercholesterolemic patients with glucose metabolism abnormalities in whom metformin administration is either contraindicated or results in adverse effects.