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Familial Type 11 Hyperlipoproteinaemia


E.A. Stein
D. Mendelsohn
I. Bersohn

Abstract

Thirty-four patients with familial type 11 hyperlipoproteinaemia were seen over an 8-month period at a lipid disorders clinic for children and young adults. Of the 34 patients, 5 were classified as homozygous, 27 as heterozygous type lIa, and 2 as heterozygous type lib. Clinical manifestations of the disease were present in all 5 homozygous patients and in 12 of the 29 heterozygotes. The most common physical finding was Achilles tendon xanthoma. The high incidence of physical signs in our patients stresses the importance of such features in the young. For the purpose of treatment the heterozygotes were divided into 2 groups: (a) children under the age of 15 years; (b) young adults from 16 to 25 years of age. Patients in both groups received a minimum of 6 weeks' dietary treatment followed by combined dietary and cholestyramine therapy (Questran; Mead Johnson). The decrease in serum cholesterol on diet alone was similar in both groups. On combined therapy, the children showed a decrease in serum cholesterol of 27% compared with 15% in the young adults. A general fall in the serum cholesterol of 36% was achieved in the children, compared with 19% in the young adults. In 3 homozygotes diet alone produced a fall in serum cholesterol similar to that found in the heterozygotes. In 2 patients who had cholestyramine added to the diet,  further decrease of 20% in serum cholesterol was achieved.


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eISSN: 2078-5135
print ISSN: 0256-9574