[Dyslipidemia Secondary to Liver Diseases]

The liver plays a crucial role in the metabolism of lipids and lipoproteins through the biosynthesis of cho- lesterol, fatty acids, apolipoproteins, and proteins involved in lipoprotein homeostasis. Therefore, changes in the hepatic contents of cholesterol or fatty acids or the impairment of the protein synthesis by liver disorders, such as primary biliary cirrhosis, cirrhosis, and fatty liver, can directly or indirectly influence the lipo- protein profile in the circulation. Although dyslipidemia secondary to liver diseases might not have clinical importance from the aspect of diagnosis(i.e., dyslipidemia rarely gives a clue to diagnose liver diseases), it might possess clinical significance in the near future after a paradigm shift in the treatment of liver diseases; since the prognosis of pa- tients with liver diseases has been improving as a result of emerging novel drugs, such as anti-HCV reagents, long-term complications, such as atherosclerosis, might be important in the management of liver diseases. [Review].