Type I: This is a rare disorder characterized by severe
elevations in chylomicrons and extremely elevated
triglyceride levels, always well above 1000 mg/dL
and reaching as high as 10,000 mg/dL or higher.
Because chylomicrons also contain cholesterol,
blood cholesterol levels are also quite high.
Type IIb: This is a mixed hyperlipidemia (high cho-
lesterol and triglycerides) caused by elevations in
both LDL and VLDL.
Type III: This form is characterized by elevated total
cholesterol and triglyceride levels. This type is easily
confused with type IIb, but type III also features
elevations in IDL.Type IV: This type is characterized by abnormal
elevations of VLDL, with triglyceride levels almost
always lower than 1000 mg/dL. Blood cholesterol
levels are normal.
When levels exceed 150 mg>dL, health care prac-
titioners will recommend a diet aimed at lowering
levels.DescriptionSince there are different types of hypertriglyceride-
mias, often associated with other diseases or disorders
(diabetes mellitus, obesity), diets needs to be individuallyKEY TERMS
Adipose—Tissue that contains fat cells.
Artery—A blood vessel that carries blood from the
heart to the body.
Atherosclerosis—Clogging, narrowing, and hardening
of the large arteries and medium-sized blood vessels.
Atherosclerosis can lead to stroke, heart attack, eye
problems and kidney problems.
Blood plasma—The pale yellowish, protein-
containing fluid portion of the blood in which cells are
suspended. 92% water, 7% protein and 1% minerals.
Cholesterol—Soft, waxy substance found among the
lipids present in the bloodstream and in all cells of
the body.
Chylomicronemia—An excess of chylomicrons in
the blood.
Chylomicrons—Intestinal triglycerides.
Cirrhosis—A life-threatening disease that scars liver
tissue and damages its cells. It severely affects liver
function, preventing it from removing toxins like
alcohol and drugs from the blood.
Diabetes mellitus—A group of disorders in which
there is a defect in the transfer of glucose (sugar) from
the bloodstream into cells, leading to abnormally high
levels of blood sugar (hyperglycemia).
Dyslipidemia—A disorder of lipoprotein metabolism,
including lipoprotein overproduction or deficiency.
Dyslipidemias may be manifested by elevation of the
total cholesterol, the ‘‘bad’’ low-density lipoprotein
(LDL) cholesterol and the triglyceride concentrations,
and a decrease in the ‘‘good’’ high-density lipoprotein
(HDL) cholesterol concentration in the blood.
Fatty acid—Any of a large group of monobasic acids,
especially those found in animal and vegetable fats
and oils, having the general formula CnH.Fredrickson classification—A classification system
of hyperlipidemias by ultracentrifugation followed
by electrophoresis that uses plasma appearance, tri-
glyceride values, and total cholesterol values. There
are five types: I, II, III, IV, and V.
Heart attack—A heart attack occurs when blood
flow to the heart muscle is interrupted. This deprives
the heart muscle of oxygen, causing tissue damage or
tissue death.
Hyperlipidemia—Elevation of lipid levels (fats) in
the bloodstream. These lipids include cholesterol,
cholesterol compounds, phospholipids and trigly-
cerides, all carried in the blood as part of large
molecules called lipoproteins.
Lipids—Group of chemicals, usually fats, that do not
dissolve in water, but dissolve in ether.
Metabolic syndrome X—Also called the insulin
resistance syndrome or pre-diabetic syndrome.
The syndrome is closely associated with hyper-
triglyceridemia and with low HDL-‘‘good’’
cholesterol.
Omega-3 fatty acids—Any of several polyunsatu-
rated fatty acids found in leafy green vegetables,
vegetable oils, and fish such as salmon and mack-
erel, capable of reducing serum cholesterol levels
and having anticoagulant properties.
Triglycerides—Triglycerides are the chemical form
in which most fat exists in food as well as in the
body. They consist of three fatty acids and glyc-
erol. Triglycerides are used by the body to store
energy
Unsaturated fat—A type of fat derived from plant
and some animal sources, especially fish, that is
liquid at room temperature.Hypertriglyceridemia