Pioglitazone attenuates cardiometabolic risk factors in non-diabetic patients with dyslipidemia.

OBJECTIVE To determine the effect of pioglitazone on cardiometabolic risk factors in non-diabetic patients with dyslipidaemia. METHODS This prospective, randomised clinical trial was conducted at Sheikh Zayed Medical College and Hospital, Rahim Yar Khan, Pakistan, from August to October 2016, and comprised non-diabetic patients with dyslipidaemia. They were randomly divided into three groups. First and second groups were given a daily dose of tab pioglitazone 30mg and gemfibrozil 600mg, respectively, while the third group served as the healthy control. Body weight, body mass index and serum lipid profile were analysed pre- and post-treatment. SPSS 16 was used for data analysis. RESULTS Of the 135 participants, there were 45(33.3%) in each group. After 12 weeks' treatment, the pioglitazone group showed a highly significant reduction in body weight (83±10.5 to 76±13.5kg) and body mass index (27.7±4.4 to 25.5±6.4kg/m2) (p<0.01) compared to the gemfibrozil group. The pioglitazone group showed a significant improvement in serum lipid profile after 12 weeks (p<0.05) while the gemfibrozil group showed a highly significant improvement in serum lipid profile (p<0.01). CONCLUSIONS Pioglitazone independently improved cardiometabolic risk factors, even in non-diabetics.