Lipid (lipoprotein) apheresis selectively removes LDL cholesterol and lipoprotein(a), lowering both by 60–70% per session — and it's the only therapy that reduces Lp(a) specifically by 70–80%. A 5-year prospective registry of 170 patients found this treatment dropped major cardiac event rates from 0.41 to 0.06 per year, and a separate longitudinal cohort study found lipid apheresis reduced myocardial infarction frequency by 97%. Candidacy is a medical decision based on Lp(a), cardiovascular history and prior drug response.

Apheresis has a strong overall safety record when performed under medical supervision. In a multinational registry, adverse events were mostly mild — typically related to venous access or transient hypotension — with severe events occurring in only 0.4% of procedures. A separate registry tracking lipoprotein apheresis specifically recorded adverse events in 4.44% of treatments, the large majority of which resolved without complication. At Elysium, every treatment is preceded by medical screening and delivered under continuous physician supervision to manage individual risk factors.

These terms describe a hierarchy, not four separate things. Blood purification is the broadest umbrella term — any method of treating the blood outside the body to remove unwanted substances. Apheresis is a category within that umbrella: it specifically separates blood into its components (plasma, red cells, white cells, platelets) and processes one of them, before returning the rest to the body. Plasmapheresis is a type of apheresis that targets the plasma specifically — separating it from the blood cells so it can be filtered, modified, or replaced. Plasma exchange is a specific technique within plasmapheresis, where the separated plasma is removed entirely and replaced with a substitute fluid, rather than filtered and returned. In practice, the terms are often used loosely and interchangeably in casual conversation, but clinically each describes a more specific step within the same overall process. At Elysium, the specific technique used — whether plasma exchange, selective filtration, or another apheresis method — depends entirely on what your diagnostics indicate needs to be addressed.

Yes, this is one of the most well-established uses of apheresis. Lipid apheresis is specifically indicated when statins and other lipid-lowering medication fail to bring LDL cholesterol and lipoprotein(a) to target levels, including in familial hypercholesterolaemia and statin-intolerant patients. It lowers both LDL-C and Lp(a) by 60–70% per session — a reduction no oral therapy can match. Candidacy is a medical decision based on your lipid profile, cardiovascular history, and how you've responded to medication so far.

Yes, these are among the strongest-evidenced uses of apheresis in medicine. Both myasthenia gravis and Guillain-Barré syndrome are classified as Category I indications by the American Society for Apheresis (ASFA), meaning apheresis is accepted as first-line therapy, either alone or alongside other treatment. In these conditions, the immune system produces antibodies that attack the body's own neuromuscular tissue; therapeutic plasma exchange removes these antibodies directly from circulation, often producing meaningful improvement during acute episodes. This is a different clinical context from longevity-focused apheresis — it reflects apheresis's original, most rigorously proven use in acute autoimmune and neurological disease.

There's meaningful evidence for this in patients with elevated lipoprotein(a). A longitudinal cohort study found that lipid apheresis reduced the frequency of myocardial infarction by 97%, regardless of a patient's LDL cholesterol levels before treatment. Separately, a 5-year prospective registry of 170 patients on regular lipid apheresis found major cardiac event rates dropped from 0.41 to 0.06 per year once treatment began. This evidence specifically applies to patients with elevated Lp(a) and progressive cardiovascular disease — not a general population — and candidacy depends on your individual risk profile and prior cardiac history.