This study was designed to explore the effects of omega-3-acid ethyl esters on the lipid and lipoprotein profile in the blood in hyperlipidemic patients receiving a hydroxymethylglutaryl-coenzyme A (HMG-CoA) reductase inhibitor in comparison with the control group of patients not treated with omega-3-acid ethyl esters in an unblinded manner by use of high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) using highly-sensitive gel filtration columns, which is a technique for analyzing lipoprotein.~Study participants who gave consent and were assessed as eligible in the eligibility assessment will be stratified by the factors of fasting triacylglycerol (TG; <300 mg/dL or 300 mg/dL≤) and age (<65 years or 65 years≤) at the start of the screening period and allocated to either the group treated with omega-3-acid ethyl esters or the group not treated with omega-3-acid ethyl esters (1:1 ratio).
The purpose of this study is to explore the effects of 8-week treatment with omega-3-acid ethyl esters on the lipid and lipoprotein profile in the blood in hyperlipidemic patients receiving a HMG-CoA reductase inhibitor by use of HPLC in comparison with the control group of patients not treated with omega-3-acid ethyl esters.