Hyperlipidemia: Diagnosis and Therapy

Abstract

Experimental, clinical, and epidemiologic studies have solidly established a close association between hyperlipemia (hyperlipoproteinemia) and the development of atherosclerosis, and especially coronary heart disease. This monograph provides a timely review of the many recent advances in this area. It covers basic biochemistry and the function of lipoproteins, relevant epidemiologic research, the genetic and pediatric aspects of dyslipoproteinemia, clinical and laboratory methods to differentiate different types of hyperlipemia, and medical and surgical methods currently available for their control. Since patients with coronary artery disease usually remain asymptomatic for years until the disease has progressed to advanced stages, cardiologists and pediatricians should be encouraged to acquire a better understanding of this major risk factor to practice preventive medicine for eventual control of the major cause of death in developed countries. The study of primary hyperlipemias could lead to unraveling of the basic cellular metabolic abnormality of different hyperlipemias. This may account for