Hypertriglyceridemia and Cardiovascular Outcomes

Cardiovascular disease, particularly ischemic heart disease, is one of the most common causes of morbidity and mortality in the United States. Atherosclerosis, the root cause of ischemic heart disease, is promoted by risk factors like elevated plasma low-density lipoprotein, low plasma high-density lipoprotein, smoking, hypertension, and diabetes mellitus. Even 66 years after a relation between triglycerides (TG) and cardiovascular disease was first suspected, TGs still continue to be a controversial risk factor and target for therapy. Some previous studies did not show any significant positive relationship between TG and cardiovascular mortality; however, recent meta-analyses found otherwise. The role of elevated TG in patients with low low-density lipoprotein and interventions to lower TG to reduce cardiovascular mortality and morbidity is an area of active research.