The cholesterol/phospholipid ratio of the erythrocyte membrane in children with familial hypercholesterolemia. Its relationship with plasma lipids and red blood cell aggregability
Affiliations: Hemorheology Unit, Department of Clinical Biopathology, Hospital La Fe, Valencia, Spain | Pediatric Unit, Hospital La Fe, Valencia, Spain
Note: [] Complete address: Dr. Marcial Martínez, Hemorheology Unit, Department of Clinical Pathology, Hospital La Fe, Avda. Campanar 21, 46009 Valencia, Spain. Fax: +3868789.
Abstract: The cholesterol/phospholipid ratio (C/PL) of the red blood cell membrane, plasma lipids and erythrocyte aggregability were evaluated in 20 children with familial hypercholesterolemia (age: 10.4{}\pm{}4.6 years) but without detectable vascular injury. The results indicate that hypercholesterolemic children have a higher erythrocyte membrane C/PL ratio than the control group (0.81{}\pm{}0.23 vs. 0.65{}\pm{}0.08, p<0.01). This membrane lipid alteration correlates inversely with the plasma concentration of HDL‐cholesterol (r=-0.558, p<0.010). The patients also showed greater erythrocyte aggregability than the control group (8.21{}\pm{}1.11 vs. 6.25{}\pm{}1.24, p<0.001), but this does not seem to correlate with the changes observed in the lipid composition of the cell membrane. These results suggest that from childhood, people with familial hyper‐cholesterolemia show alterations in the lipid composition of the red blood cell membrane that are related to the changes observed in plasma lipids and appear prior to atherosclerotic vascular symptoms.
Keywords: Red blood cell lipids, familial hypercholesterolemia, erythrocyte aggregability
