title: Icosapent ethyl for the treatment of severe hypertriglyceridemia.
abstract: Hypertriglyceridemia is a highly prevalent lipid abnormality and it is associated with atherosclerosis, with a growing body of evidence linking elevated triglycerides (TGs) with cardiovascular disease. The current major omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids, eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA)/docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) combination, lowers serum TGs while often increasing levels of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol. Icosapent ethyl is an omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid with a 96% pure ethyl ester of EPA that has been recently approved for lowering TG levels in patients with very high TGs (≥500 mg/dL), and it does so without significantly affecting serum low-density lipoprotein cholesterol. The potential benefits of omega-3 fatty acid therapy for dyslipidemias will be discussed, including the potential pros and cons of EPA alone versus the more common and readily available EPA/DHA combination therapy.
authors.affiliation: Department of Hospital Medicine, Ochsner Medical Center, New Orleans, LA, USA.
authors.forename: Hassan
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Fares
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiovascular Diseases, John Ochsner Heart and Vascular Institute, Ochsner Clinical School, University of Queensland School of Medicine, New Orleans, LA, USA ; Department of Preventive Medicine, Pennington Biomedical Research Center, Louisiana State University System, Baton Rouge, LA, USA.
authors.forename: Carl J
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Lavie
authors.affiliation: Mid America Heart Institute at Saint Luke's Hospital, Kansas City, MO, USA.
authors.forename: James J
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: DiNicolantonio
authors.affiliation: Mid America Heart Institute, University of Missouri-Kansas City, Kansas City, MO, USA.
authors.forename: James H
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: O'Keefe
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiovascular Diseases, John Ochsner Heart and Vascular Institute, Ochsner Clinical School, University of Queensland School of Medicine, New Orleans, LA, USA.
authors.forename: Richard V
authors.initials: RV
authors.lastname: Milani
keywords: docosahexaenoic acid; eicosapentaenoic acid; low-density lipoprotein; triglycerides