Introduction
Hypertriglyceridemia is defined as a serum triglyceride (TG) level >150 mg/dL (1.7 mmol/L).1It is commonly detected as a part of routine blood work which includes a fasting lipid panel to assess for cardiovascular risks. It is categorized into three groups based on the triglyceride levels-
Atherosclerotic cardiovascular diseases like myocardial infarction and cerebrovascular accidents are more common in patients with elevated fasting plasma TG levels2.1 to 10 percent of acute pancreatitis cases are caused by hypertriglyceridemia3.
A less common cause of hypertriglyceridemia is Lipodystrophy, which involves fat loss in a generalized or partial pattern and is often associated with hypertriglyceridemia, diabetes mellitus, and hepatic steatosis. Lipodystrophies are classified as either genetic or acquired4. The acquired forms are usually caused by various infections, autoimmune diseases, and drugs such as protease inhibitors and reverse transcriptase inhibitors. Genetic lipodystrophies areelucidated in the discussion section of the report.