Cardiovascular disease and hypertriglyceridemia: a report from the hypertriglyceridemia registry of the Spanish Atherosclerosis Society

Aim: To show the main clinical features of cardiovascular diseases of patients recorded in the Spanish Registry of Hypertriglyceridemia. Materials & methods: We prospectively recruited 1394 subjects referred for management to a lipid unit due to hypertriglyceridemia (triglycerides over 200 mg/dl at least twice). Results: A total of 146 patients (10.8%) had an ischemic event on the first visit, 11.7% of men and 6.9% of women. Among patients with vascular disease, 68% had a coronary event and 28% had peripheral arterial disease. Median (interquartile range) age of onset was 50 years (45–58 years) for men and 57 years (50–66 years) for women. At least 60% of men and women had the first event under 55 or 65 years old, respectively. In multivariate analyses, a history of premature ischemic event in first-degree relatives and the presence of metabolic syndrome were the strongest factors associated with cardiovascular disease (odds ratio: 2.67; 95% CI: 1.70–4.18 and 3.85; 95% CI: 1.15–9.77, respectively; p < 0.05). Conclusion: In patients referred to a lipid unit with hypertriglyceridemia, cardiovascular disease was more prevalent than in the general population and appeared prematurely when compared with coronary heart disease registries. In addition to traditional risk factors, a positive familial history of premature vascular disease and metabolic syndrome criteria were independently associated with the presence of vascular disease.