title: Hypertriglyceridemia and its pharmacologic treatment among US adults.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Increasing evidence supports triglyceride (TG) concentration as a risk factor for cardiovascular disease. The prevalence of hypertriglyceridemia during a period of rising prevalence of obesity and its pharmacological treatment among US adults are poorly understood.
  
  
  METHODS
  We examined data for 5610 participants 20 years or older from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys from 1999 to 2004.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The unadjusted prevalence (percentage [SE]) of a TG concentration of 150 mg/dL or higher (to convert triglycerides to millimoles per liter, multiply by 0.0113) was 33.1% (0.8%); a TG concentration of 200 mg/dL or higher, 17.9% (0.7%), a TG concentration of 500 mg/dL or higher, 1.7% (0.2%), and a TG concentration of 1000 mg/dL or higher, 0.4% (0.1%). Overall, 1.3% (0.2%) of participants used 1 of 3 prescription medications indicated to treat hypertriglyceridemia (ie, fenofibrate, gemfibrozil, or niacin); this percentage was 2.6% (0.4%) among participants with a TG concentration of 150 mg/dL or higher and 3.6% (0.7%) among participants with a TG concentration of 200 mg/dL or higher.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Among US adults, hypertriglyceridemia is common. Until the benefits of treating hypertriglyceridemia that is not characterized by extreme elevations of TG concentration with medications are incontrovertible, therapeutic lifestyle change remains the preferred treatment.
authors.affiliation: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA 30341, USA. eford@cdc.gov
authors.forename: Earl S
authors.initials: ES
authors.lastname: Ford
authors.forename: Chaoyang
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Guixiang
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.forename: William S
authors.initials: WS
authors.lastname: Pearson
authors.forename: Ali H
authors.initials: AH
authors.lastname: Mokdad
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D011345:Fenofibrate / Q000627:therapeutic use; D015248:Gemfibrozil / Q000627:therapeutic use; D006801:Humans; D015228:Hypertriglyceridemia / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000453:epidemiology*; D000960:Hypolipidemic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009525:Niacin / Q000627:therapeutic use; D009749:Nutrition Surveys; D015995:Prevalence; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D000960:Hypolipidemic Agents; D009525:Niacin; D015248:Gemfibrozil; D011345:Fenofibrate