[Fatty acid metabolism in primary hyperlipoproteinemia (HLP) (author's transl)]

The fatty acid spectra of cholesterol ester and triglyceride fractions separated by thin-layer chromatography were analyzed by gas chromatography in the sera of 252 patients with primary HLP (with 53 cases of type IIa, 48 cases of type IIb, and 151 cases of type IV) and 60 healthy persons. Showing significantly increased values in the cholesterol ester fraction for HLP of types IIa and IIb as well as in the triglyceride fraction for HLP of types IIb and IV were palmitic acid, stearic acid, palmitoleic acid, oleic acid, and eicosatrienic acid. Significantly reduced percentages were obtained for linoleic acid, linolenic acid, arachidonic acid, and eicosapentaenic acid in the same fractions for these types. Possible causes include disturbances of the fatty acid metabolism in the liver, increased selective reesterification of fatty acids of the lipolytic process, and partially altered LCAT activity.