Objective: To examine the effect of the I405V and TaqIB polymorphisms of cholesteryl ester transfer protein (CETP) on the lipid response after simvastatin treatment in 180 hypercholesterolaemic patients.
Methods: Hypercholesterolaemic patients (n = 180) attending the lipid clinic at the Onassis Cardiac Surgery Center were genotyped and their response to simvastatin was evaluated.
Results: Sequence variations in the CETP gene influenced the effect of lipid-lowering treatment. Specifically, the I allele of the I405V polymorphism was associated with a greater reduction in triglyceride (TG; p = 0.04) and a significant increase in high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) levels (p = 0.05) after treatment compared with the V allele.
Conclusions: The authors' findings suggest that CETP I405V polymorphism modifies the effect of simvastatin on TG reduction and HDL-C elevation; the carriers of the I allele responded better to treatment. These findings need to be confirmed in larger studies.