Clinical and biochemical features of atherogenic hyperlipidemias with different genetic basis: A comprehensive comparative study

Abstract

Patients with genetically-based hyperlipidemias exhibit a wide phenotypic variability. Investigation of clinical and biochemical features is important for identifying genetically-based hyperlipidemias, determining disease prognosis, and initiating timely treatment. We analyzed genetic data from 3374 samples and compared clinical data, lipid levels (low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, triglycerides, and lipoprotein (a)), frequency, age at onset of coronary heart disease (CHD), and the severity of carotid and femoral atherosclerosis (plaque number, maximum stenosis, total stenosis, maximum plaque height, and plaque score) among patients with familial hypercholesterolemia (FH), familial dysbetalipoproteinemia (FD), polygenic hypercholesterolemia (HCL), severe HCL, and those without lipid disorders (n = 324). FH patients exhibited the highest LDL-C (median 8.03 mmol/L, p < 0.001). FD patients had elevated triglyceride levels (median 4.10 mmol/L), lower LDL-C (median 3.57 mmol/L), and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (median 1.03 mmol/L) compared to FH, polygenic HCL, and severe HCL, p < 0.05. FH and FD patients had similar early onset of CHD, with a median age of 44 and 40 years and comparable frequencies of 29.5% and 31.0%, respectively. They were more likely to develop CHD than subjects without lipid disorders (p = 0.042 and p < 0.001, respectively). Additionally, FH patients had higher a carotid plaque number, total carotid stenosis, and carotid plaque score. This study presents the first simultaneous comparison of clinical and biochemical features among FD, FH, polygenic, and severe HCL, along with the first comprehensive evaluation of carotid and femoral atherosclerosis ultrasound parameters in FD patients. The results highlight distinct phenotypic features unique to each hyperlipidemia analyzed and underscore FH and FD as the most atherogenic hyperlipidemias.