The long-term effects of rosiglitazone on serum lipid concentrations and body weight

Objective: Although rosiglitazone, an insulin sensitizer, is known to have beneficial effects on high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) concentrations and low density lipoprotein (LDL) particle size, it has unwanted effects on total cholesterol (TC) and LDL cholesterol (LDL-C) concentrations and body weight in some short-term studies. The aim of this study was to evaluate the long-term effects of rosiglitazone on serum lipid levels and body weight. Design: Open labelled clinical study. Patients and measurements: We prospectively evaluated fasting serum glucose, haemoglobin A_1c (HbA_1c), lipid profiles and body weight at baseline and every 3 months after the use of rosiglitazone (4 mg/day) for 18 months in 202 type 2 diabetic patients. Results: TC levels increased maximally at 3 months and decreased thereafter. However, overall, TC levels remained significantly higher at 18 months than those at baseline. LDL-C levels from the 3-month to the 12-month timepoint were significantly higher than those at baseline. However, after 15 months, LDL-C concentrations were not significantly different from basal LDL-C concentrations. HDL-C levels increased after the first 3 months and these levels were maintained. The increment of change in HDL-C was more prominent in patients with low basal HDL-C concentrations than in patients with high basal HDL-C concentrations. Body weight increased after the first 3 months and these levels were maintained. Conclusions: HDL-C and body weight increased and remained elevated for the duration of the study. There was an initial increase in LDL-C but this attenuated and by the end of the study was not significantly elevated above baseline levels.