Hypertriglyceridemia and atherosclerosis risk.

The history of studying hypertriglyceridemia as a risk factor for atherosclerosis has been going on for a half a century. The significance of this parameter as measured in fasting state is not entirely clear, since the statistical significance between triglyceride concentration and cardiovascular risk is lost after adjustment to HDL-cholesterol concentration. Remnant particles of chylomicrons and very low density lipoproteins measured postprandially appear to be responsible for the risk associated with hypertriglyceridemia. As the concentration of non-fasting triglycerides increases, the risk of myocardial infarction increases gradually up to five times.