The prevalence of hypertriglyceridemia during a period where obesity has been rising and its pharmacological treatment were examined in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys from 1999 to 2004. The prevalence of elevated triglyceride concentrations ≥1.69 mmol/l was 33.1%, ≥2.26 mmol/l was 17.9%, ≥5.65 mmol/l was 1.7% and ≥11.3 mmol/l was 0.4%. Globally, 1.3% of participants were on one of the three drugs used to treat hypertriglyceridemia (fenofibrate, gemfibrozil or niacin). However, this prevalence increased with the severity of hypertriglyceridemia (2.6% in those with triglycerides ≥1.69 mmol/l and 3.6% in those with triglycerides ≥2.26 mmol/l). The prevalence of hypertriglyceridemia is elevated among US adults, but the use of medication to treat this lipid abnormality is relatively low. Because of the elevated prevalence of hypertriglyceridemia and the low incidence of pharmacological treatment to treat this disorder, Thompson and Gau proposed in their editorial (Arch Intern Med 2009; 169: 578-9) that physicians should certainly recommend intensive lifestyle modifications to their patients, otherwise it will be difficult to normalize triglyceride concentrations.
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