Triglycerides: a risk factor for coronary heart disease

Multivariate analysis of epidemiological data has often shown that elevated plasma triglyceride (TG) concentration is not an independent risk factor for coronary heart disease (CHD). However, more recently, subgroup- and meta-analyses have supported an independent association between TG and CHD. The strength of TG to predict CHD lies in its ability to reflect the presence of atherogenic plasma TG-rich lipoprotein (TRL) remnants. Clinical evidence for the potential atherogenicity of TRL is provided by patients with type III hyperlipoproteinaemia, hepatic lipase deficiency or apolipoprotein E deficiency, who have a marked increase in plasma remnant lipoproteins and an increased incidence of CHD. Indirect evidence suggests that the presence of a single ε2 allele may have atherogenic potential by influencing plasma remnant accumulation in the presence of a second environmental or genetic factor. Recent studies have also indicated that the magnitude of postprandial triglyceridaemia is a significant predictor of CHD. Emerging data from angiographic intervention trials have implicated TRL in atherosclerotic disease progression independently of low-density lipoproteins (LDL). Thus, in hypertriglyceridaemic patients, physicians should conduct a thorough clinical evaluation, a family survey, an assessment of associated risk factors and a complete analysis of the plasma lipoprotein profile, in order to assess the atherogenic potential of this hyperlipidaemia.