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Updated: Jul 23, 2026
Non-invasive Assessment of Microvascular and Endothelial Function
Published on: January 29, 2013
Intravenous fat-tolerance test in ischaemic heart disease and peripheral vascular disease
Insights
Patients with vascular disease have slower triglyceride clearance and higher lipid levels. This suggests hypertriglyceridemia in these patients may stem from impaired clearance or overproduction of triglycerides.
Area of Science:
- Cardiology
- Metabolic Disorders
- Vascular Biology
Background:
- Cardiovascular diseases, including ischemic heart disease and peripheral vascular disease, are often associated with lipid metabolism abnormalities.
- Understanding triglyceride kinetics is crucial for assessing cardiovascular risk.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate differences in exogenous triglyceride metabolism and serum lipid profiles between healthy individuals and patients with vascular diseases.
- To explore the potential mechanisms underlying hypertriglyceridemia in cardiovascular patients.
Main Methods:
- Conducted intravenous fat-tolerance tests and measured serum lipid and lipoprotein levels in 93 normal subjects, 51 patients with ischemic heart disease, and 30 patients with peripheral vascular disease.
- Assessed the fractional turnover rate of exogenous triglyceride and fasting serum concentrations of triglyceride and cholesterol.
Main Results:
- Patients with ischemic heart disease and peripheral vascular disease exhibited significantly slower fractional triglyceride turnover rates compared to normal subjects.
- Both vascular disease groups showed higher serum triglyceride and cholesterol concentrations than controls.
- 35% of patients had subnormal triglyceride clearance, and 32% had hypertriglyceridemia; 27% were hypercholesterolemic.
Conclusions:
- Impaired triglyceride clearance and/or overproduction contribute to hypertriglyceridemia in patients with vascular diseases.
- The findings suggest distinct pathophysiological mechanisms for hypertriglyceridemia in cardiovascular patients, potentially aiding in targeted therapeutic strategies.
Abstract:
1. The intravenous fat-tolerance test and serum lipid and lipoprotein measurements were carried out in ninety-three normal subjects, fifty-one patients with ischaemic heart disease and thirty patients with peripheral vascular disease. 2. The fractional turnover rate of exogenous triglyceride was significantly slower in patients with ischaemic heart disease and in patients with peripheral vascular disease than in normal men. The rate was also slower in normal men than normal women. 3. Serum triglyceride and cholesterol concentrations were higher in both vascular disease groups than in control subjects. 4. The proportion of both groups of patients who had a subnormal fractional turnover rate of exogenous triglyceride was 35%, and 32% of patients had hypertriglyceridaemia in the fasting state; 27% of patients were hypercholesterolaemic. 5. Although the intravenous fat-tolerance test did not provide significantly better discrimination between cardiovascular patients and control subjects than did measurement of serum triglyceride, the results suggest that hypertriglyceridaemia in such patients may be separable into a group in which impaired triglyceride clearance may be partly responsible, and a group in which overproduction of serum triglyceride may be the major mechanism of the hyperlipidaemia.
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