BMJ 1994;309:2-3 (2 July)

Editorials

Triglyceride concentration and coronary heart disease

As a cardiac risk factor triglycerides have occupied an uneasy position for a long time: perpetually under a cloud of suspicion but never proved to cause or even have a definite association with the risk of coronary heart disease. There are good grounds for suspicion - biological plausibility and epidemiological data suggest that triglycerides might promote coronary heart disease and other forms of cardiovascular disease - but the epidemiological and clinical evidence is inconsistent and often flawed.Even recent recommendation calling for the use of triglyceride concentration in screening are qualified by two admissions: that the evidence for a causal link remains frail and that trials have not established any clinical benefit from measuring triglyceride concentration.*RF 1-3*

Why should a final judgment about the importance of triglycerides in cardiovascular disease remain so elusive? One cause is the variability of measurements of triglyceride concentrations - much greater than for other common lipids. . . . [Full text of this article]


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Relevant Article

Triglyceride concentration and coronary heart disease High concentrations need treatment
A M Cruickshank and P H Winocour
BMJ 1994 309: 668. [Extract] [Full Text]

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