Abstract
Hyperlipidemia (mainly with elevated triglyceride levels) is a frequent finding in uremic patients on dialysis. The reported incidence of hypertriglyceridemia in adults with end stage renal disease (ESRD), as well as in those patients undergoing chronic hemodialysis, varies from 30 to 70 percent (1). The predominant pattern of this hyperlipidemia is Type IV, consistent with an increase in total triglycerides (TG) and very low density lipoproteins (VLDL) with near normal total cholesterol (TC). Prospective epidemiologic studies in patients with and without renal disease indicate that the Type IV pattern is associated with an increased incidence of ischemic heart disease (2–3). The hyperlipidemia associated with uremia may begin in adults when creatinine clearance falls under 50 ml/min (4). It has been reported that hyperlipidemia in children also occur early in the course of chronic renal failure (CRF) when creatinine clearance falls below 40 ml/mln/1.73m2 (5). As renal function deteriorates serum triglyceride levels become significantly elevated and HDL levels markedly decrease, while serum total cholesterol, phospholipids and LDL remain essentially unchanged. These lipid abnormalities worsen further with the onset of hemodialysis (5).