This study was conducted to examine the relationship between triglyceride (TG) levels and a history of excessive drinking in patients with severe hypertriglyceridemia (HT).
Alcohol intake as well as other risk factors associated with HT were searched for in case records of 300 patients known to the laboratory to have had a T G level over 11.3 mmol/l.
The majority of severe HT could be attributed to obesity, diabetes mellitus, excessive alcohol consumption or combinations of these. Excessive alcohol intake (over 210 g/week for males; over 140 g/week for females) was recorded for 24% of the total, and for 43% in the highest TG quartile. TG levels were significantly higher in the excessive drinkers (P < 0.001) and in patients with acute pancreatitis (P = 0.001). The incidence of pancreatitis in this cohort was 4% and limited to very high TG levels.
Excessive alcohol consumption was recorded in a quarter of patients with severe HT. Patients with the combination of obesity, diabetes and alcohol excess are prone to develop extremely high TG values.
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