[Radical therapy of refractory hyperlipidemia: extracorporeal cholesterol elimination].

In Austria atherosclerosis related diseases are responsible for the death of more than 50% of the population. There is a linear relationship between lowering cholesterol and the mortality of coronary heart disease. Apart from diet and drug therapy for the treatment of hypercholesterolemia we nowadays have very potent extracorporeal cholesterol lowering therapies. In combination with HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors LDL-cholesterol can be lowered by 80% with these procedures. In particular homozygote familial hypercholesterolemia is an absolute indication for extracorporeal lipid lowering. Refractory heterozygote FH and secondary hypercholesterolemia in combination with other risk factors can also be controlled by extracorporeal cholesterol elimination. Since some of these extracorporeal therapies also improve the hemorheological situation they are also being used to treat peripheral vascular disease and cerebral atherosclerosis.