[Clinical aspects of the problem of hyperlipoproteinemia and age]

The decisive role of the lipids for the atherogenesis is without doubt: disturbances of the fat metabolism (hypercholesterolaemia and hypertriglyceridaemia) lead, like epidemiological retrospective and prospective studies, clinico-experimental data as well as results of biochemical and cell-biological research show, to atherosclerotic diseases. Their prevalence increases with rising age. The hitherto assume dependence on age for cholesterol and triglycerides is first of all to be traced back to this phenomenon. In all age groups the cholesterol values should not be more than 260 mg/dl (6.7 mmol/l) and the triglycerides no more than 200 mg/dl (2.3 mmol/l). The ideal values are by far lower. Beginning with the 55th to 60th year the risk character of increased concentration of serum lipids. An improvement in the lipid diagnostics is the estimation of the cardioprotective HDL-cholesterol and the LDL/HDL-quotient, respectively.