Five-year follow-up of waist circumference, insulin and ALT levels in familial combined hyperlipidaemia.

Introduction: Familial combined hyperlipidemia (FCHL), an entity with many features of the metabolic syndrome, is characterized by changes in cholesterol and triglyceride phenotype over time. This study was conducted to investigate the relation of alanineaminotransferase (ALT) levels, used as a surrogate for the amount of hepatic fat, with the switch in triglyceride phenotype and the increased susceptibility to develop hypertriglyceridemia in FCHL.

Methods: Body mass index, waist circumference, plasma triglycerides, insulin and ALT levels were measured in 145 FCHL family members and 54 spouses at baseline and after a five-year follow-up.

Reduced structural and functional skin capillaries in familial combined hyperlipidemia affected men, associated with increased remnant-like lipoprotein cholesterol levels.

We determined whether abnormalities in the number of basal (BC) and post-occlusive (POC) capillaries are present in familial combined hyperlipidemia (FCHL), and investigated the possible relationship of BC and POC with lipids, remnant-like lipoprotein particles (RLP-C), blood pressure, and insulin resistance. Fifty age-matched subjects, 23 (12 men) hyperlipidemic, normotensive FCHL subjects and 27 (14 men) healthy controls participated in this study. Capillary density was measured just above the finger nailfold, before and after 4 min of arterial occlusion.