Francesco Sbrana, Beatrice Dal Pino, Carmen Corciulo+7 more · 2026 · Therapeutic apheresis and dialysis : official peer-reviewed journal of the International Society for Apheresis, the Japanese Society for Apheresis, the Japanese Society for Dialysis Therapy · Blackwell Publishing · added 2026-04-24
To date, despite the new lipid-lowering drugs, some subjects do not reach LDL-cholesterol and/or lipoprotein(a) [Lp(a)] goals and lipoprotein apheresis (LA) plays a role in atherosclerosis prevention. Show more
To date, despite the new lipid-lowering drugs, some subjects do not reach LDL-cholesterol and/or lipoprotein(a) [Lp(a)] goals and lipoprotein apheresis (LA) plays a role in atherosclerosis prevention. The aim of this study is to paint a portrait of the current LA activity in Italy, collecting data via an electronic survey. Forty-seven centers were contacted, data from 142 patients (male 67%) were obtained from 15 sites. Two sites had discontinued LA treatment. In the active sites, a median of 17 [14-26] LA treatment/patient per year was performed; 7/13 sites used more than one LA system, with venous vascular access used in 87% of cases. High Lp(a) plasma concentrations (> 60 mg/dL or ≥ 145 nmol/L) were recorded in 73/142 patients; 14/36 homozygous familial hypercholesterolemia patients were on lomitapide or evinacumab therapy. The PORTRAIT survey would like to promote a network to better manage the patients on chronic LA. Show less