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(Circulation. 2004;109:e9052-e9053.)
© 2004 American Heart Association, Inc.

Cardiovascular News

Ruth SoRelle, MPH

Circulation Newswriter

An extract of the first 250 words of the full text is provided, because this article has no abstract.

Diagnosing Familial Combined Hyperlipidemia

Absolute apolipoprotein B levels along with triglyceride and total cholesterol measurements adjusted for age and gender are the best predictors of familial combined hyperlipidemia, said researchers in a report in this week’s issue of the journal Circulation ( Circulation. 2004;109:2980–2985[Abstract/Free Full Text]). It can be calculated by a nomogram and is a good predictor of cardiovascular risk in familial combined hyperlipidemia.

The researchers, led by Mario J. Veerkamp, MD, of University Medical Center Nijmegen, Nijmegen, the Netherlands, were in search of a better diagnostic tool after showing that the traditional method of total plasma cholesterol and/or triglyceride levels above the 90 percentile adjusted for age and gender was inaccurate in 26% of subjects during a 5-year period. In their study, they evaluated 299 subjects in 32 families in 1994 and 1999 for familial combined hyperlipidemia. They were considered to have the disorder when they met the traditional lipid criteria. However, the researchers also measured apolipoprotein B and small dense low-density lipoprotein at the same time.

They found that 40% or 121 subjects had familial combined hyperlipidemia. Using multivariate analysis, they found that absolute apolipoprotein B levels combined with levels of triglyceride and total cholesterol were the best predictors of the disorder.

"Using the proposed new diagnostic criteria included in a nomogram will make it easier to identify patients and test relatives to diagnose FCH [familial combined hyperlipidemia]," the authors wrote.

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