A Novel Mechanism Causing Hypertriglyceridemia

But we don't know how common the mechanism is.

There are many known mechanisms leading to hypertriglyceridemia. Now, researchers have described a novel one — GPIHBP1 autoantibodies that cause severe hypertriglyceridemia. The protein GPIHBP1 shuttles the enzyme lipoprotein lipase (LDL) to where it metabolizes triglycerides and acts as the rate-determining step in clearing triglyceride-rich lipoproteins from the circulation.

The researchers evaluated chemical analyses of plasma samples for the presence of GPIHBP1 autoantibodies in 23 patients with mutations in GPIHBP1 or LPL genes, 8 patients with hypertriglyceridemia without these mutations, and 9 nonhyperlipidemic controls. Plasma samples from another 162 patients were also analyzed.

Six patients with severe hypertriglyceridemia (>1000 mg…

Reviewing Author

Karol E. Watson, MD, PhD, FACC

Disclosures

Consultant/Advisory BoardBoehringer Ingelheim; Amgen; Novartis; Lilly; Amarin

Speaker’s BureauBoehringer Ingelheim

Grant/Research SupportNIH

Editorial BoardsCirculation (Associate Editor)