Hypertriglyceridemia: Causes and relation to coronary heart disease

This review indicates that hypertriglyceridemia in humans is a complex entity in that it can be the result of a host of causes, including primary, secondary, and dietary. Often multiple defects are present in a single person that accentuate the elevation of plasma triglycerides. Hypertriglyceridemia is further complicated because a variety of different forms of VLDL and chylomicrons may be present. These different forms probably vary in their atherogenic potential, although these differences have not been well defined. Finally, the presence of hypertriglyceridemia induces alterations in the metabolism of other lipoproteins - IDL, LDL, and HDL - that may modify the atherogenic potential of these lipoproteins. If hypertriglyceridemia were independently to affect the clotting system, this, too, would add to its connection with CHD. Thus, although the link between elevated levels of LDL cholesterol and CHD is understood in general terms, that between hypertriglyceridemia and CHD remains elusive.