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Familial combined hyperlipidemia   

Overview | Symptoms | Treatment | Prevention

Alternative names:

Multiple lipoprotein-type hyperlipidemia

Treatment

The goal of treatment is to reduce the risk of atherosclerotic heart disease.

Diet modification is the initial phase of treatment and is tried for several months before drug therapy is added. Diet modifications include reducing total fat intake to less than 30% of the total calories consumed. Saturated fat intake is reduced by decreasing the amounts of beef, chicken, pork, and lamb; substituting low-fat dairy products for full-fat ones; and eliminating coconut and palm oil. Cholesterol intake is reduced by eliminating egg yolks and organ meats. Further reductions in the percentage of fat in the diet may be recommended after the initial trial period. Dietary counseling is often recommended to assist people with these adjustments to their eating habits. Weight loss and regular exercise may also aid in lowering cholesterol levels.

Drug therapy may be initiated if diet, exercise, and weight reduction efforts have not reduced the cholesterol levels after an adequate trial period. Various cholesterol reducing agents are available including:

• bile acid-sequestering resins (cholestyramine and colestipol)
• nicotinic acid
• lovastatin and other 'statin' drugs
• gemfibrozil
• probucol

Prognosis

The probable outcome is related to early diagnosis and treatment and compliance with therapy.  Untreated people are at risk for shortened life span due to heart attack and stroke.  The person with 2 defective genes has such high lipids that they are unlikely to be able to reduce their risk of coronary artery disease to normal.  Therefore, they are at increased risk of heart attack despite medical therapy.

Complications

A complication is early atherosclerotic heart disease or myocardial tissue death due to lack of blood (infarction).  The fatty deposits can affect the blood vessels to the brain causing an increase risk for stroke.

Call Your Health Care Provider If:

Call your health care provider if you experience warning symptoms of myocardial infarction or your screening total cholesterol or triglycerides was found to be high.

Ency. home > Disease > F > Familial combined hyperlipidemia

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