Familial Combined Hyperlipidemia

Alternate Names : Type IIb Hyperlipoproteinemia

Familial combined hyperlipidemia is an inherited disease that causes high levels of cholesterol and/or triglycerides in the blood.

What is going on in the body?

This condition may cause high cholesterol, high triglycerides, or both. These are each two types of fat in the body. Normally, the liver makes a low amount of cholesterol. When a person has this disease, the liver produces too much cholesterol. Other problems occur with fat metabolism, too. These problems depend on which specific abnormal gene was inherited.

This condition increases a person's risk of having clogged arteries from atherosclerosis, which may lead to a heart attack, stroke, or other complications.

What are the causes and risks of the condition?

This condition is inherited and occurs in about 1% of people in the US.