Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: UMLS:C0030305 (pancreatitis)
 16,014 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Hypertriglyceridemia is a commonly encountered lipid abnormality frequently associated with other lipid and metabolic derangements. The National Cholesterol Education Program recommends obtaining a fasting lipid panel in adults over the age of 20. The discovery of hypertriglyceridemia should prompt an investigation for secondary causes such as high fat diet, excessive alcohol intake, certain medications, and medical conditions (eg, diabetes mellitus, hypothyroidism). In addition, patients should be evaluated for other components of the metabolic syndrome. These include abdominal obesity, insulin resistance, low high-density lipoprotein (HDL), high triglyceride, and hypertension. Hypertriglyceridemia is classified as primary hypertriglyceridemia when there are no secondary causes identified. Primary hypertriglyceridemia is the result of various genetic defects leading to disordered triglyceride metabolism. It is important to treat hypertriglyceridemia to prevent pancreatitis by reducing triglyceride levels to <500 mg/dL. Furthermore, lowering triglycerides while treating other dyslipidemias and components of the metabolic syndrome will reduce coronary events. However, it is controversial how much isolated hypertriglyceridemia correlates directly with coronary artery disease and further studies are needed to clarify whether treatment for this condition leads to meaningful clinical outcomes. Therapeutic lifestyle changes (TLC) are the first line of treatment for hypertriglyceridemia. These changes include a low saturated fat, carbohydrate-controlled diet, combined with alcohol reduction, smoking cessation, and regular aerobic exercise. High doses of omega-3 fatty acids from fish and fish oil supplements will lower triglyceride levels significantly. When patients do not reach their goals by TLC, drug therapy should be started. In cases of isolated hypertriglyceridemia, fibrates are initially considered. When elevated low-density lipoprotein levels accompany hypertriglyceridemia, 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A reductase inhibitors are preferred. In patients with low HDL levels and hypertriglyceridemia, extended release niacin can be considered. A combination of the medicines may be necessary in recalcitrant cases.
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PMID:Hypertriglyceridemia. 1667 84

The use of fibrates in the management of lipoprotein disorders has a history dating back to the mid-1960s. This group of drugs has now been tested in several large long-term trials with cardiovascular end points. Overall, there is good evidence for the reduction of cardiovascular disease in primary prevention studies and in those of subjects with manifest disease. More recent trials have suffered from high interference due to 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A reductase inhibitor (statin) introduction, particularly in their placebo control groups. However, there is very good evidence for overall safety from a combined study of >20,000 patients in these controlled clinical trials lasting approximately 5 years. Abdominal pain has been observed more frequently in the statin vs placebo group. Myopathy, liver enzyme elevations, and cholecystitis have been potential adverse reactions of interest. However, these have occurred at a very low rate and are rarely found to be statistically more frequent in the active-treatment group compared with the subjects taking placebo. The recent Fenofibrate Intervention and Event Lowering in Diabetes (FIELD) study found a slightly higher incidence of pancreatitis, deep venous thrombosis, and pulmonary embolism. Small creatinine and homocysteine elevations are observed in many patients taking fibrates, and the effect of this on long-term outcomes is under study. The FIELD study also described a significant reduction in the rates of progression of proteinuria and vascular retinopathy with fibrate therapy. To date, there has been no study exclusive to patients with elevated triglycerides, raising the question of the potential benefit of these drugs in patients with the lipid abnormalities most effectively treated with fibrates.
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PMID:Expert commentary: the safety of fibrates in lipid-lowering therapy. 1736 73