Subscribe to KnowYourTGs.com
Get exclusive, up-to-date access to helpful resources
Health effects and risks of severe hypertriglyceridemia (sHTG) 1-5
Many people with severe hypertriglyceridemia (sHTG) cannot feel any symptoms, but they are still at high risk of pancreatitis and damage to the heart, brain, and blood vessels.
Pancreatitis
Having sHTG increases a person’s risk of pancreatitis, a serious and painful condition that often requires a hospital stay and can be life-threatening. Pancreatitis can also cause persistent damage to the pancreas and other organs, as well as cause or worsen diabetes. 8,15,16,17
Reducing your risk of pancreatitis is the most important reason to treat sHTG, but there are other important reasons to treat sHTG. 3
Other health effects of sHTG
Cardiovascular disease
Having sHTG increases a person’s risk of heart disease, heart attack, and stroke. 1
Abdominal pain
sHTG can cause repeated periods of severe abdominal pain without other explainable cause. 8
Liver disease
Having sHTG greatly increases a person’s risk of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (now also called “metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease”), in which fatty deposits develop in the liver. This condition can progress to more severe liver disease and even liver failure. 18-21
Nerve damage
In people who have type 2 diabetes, sHTG increases the risk of developing peripheral neuropathy, a painful condition caused by damage to nerves in the arms, legs, hands, and feet. 22
What are the health effects of familial chylomicronemia syndrome (FCS)? 8
People with FCS often have extremely high triglyceride levels (greater than 880 mg/dL or 10/mmol/L) and their blood may appear fatty or milky after it is drawn.
People with FCS often have severe stomach pain, sometimes every day, and may experience back pain.
People with FCS are at the highest risk of pancreatitis, and some have been hospitalized multiple times because of this condition.