Hyperlipidaemia may present to the clinician in several ways. Unfortunately, however, the first manifestation is often a cardiovascular event.
Lipids and lipoproteins should not be evaluated for three months following a major illness such as a myocardial infarction, since they can be markedly altered by the clinical event. As screening for hyperlipidaemia becomes more commonplace, asymptomatic cases are being detected more frequently. It is particularly important to screen young and middle-aged adult relatives of individuals who have presented with manifestations of premature cardiovascular disease.
Occasionally, individuals present with cutaneous manifestations or with signs and symptoms of the chylomicronaemia syndrome.
