Postprandial Changes in Chemokines Related to Early Atherosclerotic Processes in Familial Hypercholesterolemic Subjects: A Preliminary Study.

Familial hypercholesterolemia (FH) is associated with higher levels of inflammatory mediators such as chemokines, which contribute to an increased risk of premature atherosclerosis in these patients. We studied the response of chemokines related to early atherosclerotic processes during an oral unsaturated fat load test (OFLT) in patients with heterozygous FH and compared this response to normolipidemic and normoglycemic subjects.Blood samples were taken from 12 FH patients and 20 healthy controls with a similar age, gender distribution, and body mass index. Plasma chemokine levels were determined in both groups in a fasting state and at 2, 4, 6, and 8 h after an OFLT using human cytokine m…