You Shared, We Listened: Life With High Triglycerides

Triglycerides are a type of fat found in your blood that help provide energy to your cells. But having too much fat in your blood can lead to health problems. When your triglyceride levels are very high, doctors call the condition severe hypertriglyceridemia (sHTG).¹

We recently asked our community members some questions about their high triglyceride journeys, including those who have been diagnosed with severe high triglycerides, or sHTG. Many community members had experiences to share.

We asked, you answered

Here are a few questions we asked the community members of CardiovascularDisease.net, and here's what they shared.

How many people are diagnosed with high triglycerides?

Doctors measure triglycerides using a blood test called a lipid panel. This test also measures your cholesterol. Triglyceride levels are measured in milligrams per deciliter (mg/dL). A normal level is less than 150 mg/dL.¹

When we asked our community members, "Have you ever been diagnosed with high triglycerides?" 70 percent said they have been. Being diagnosed with high triglycerides (with blood test levels above 150 mg/dL) is common, affecting about 1 in 5 adults in the United States.¹

Severe hypertriglyceridemia is less common, occurring when levels are 500 mg/dL or higher. Some people have levels that reach 1,000 mg/dL or more.¹

When we asked our community members, "Have you ever been diagnosed with SEVERE high triglycerides, or severe hypertriglyceridemia (sHTG)?" about 33 percent said they have been.

Age at diagnosis

In the U.S., hypertriglyceridemia affects 42 percent of adults age 60 and above.¹

We asked those who had been diagnosed with high triglycerides what age they were when they were diagnosed. The majority of respondents — 75 percent — said they were diagnosed between the ages of 51 and 60.

Comorbidities and complications

Some people with high triglycerides also commonly have other health conditions, which we call comorbidities. There are also a few complications associated with high triglycerides, including stroke, heart attack, and pancreatitis (inflammation of the pancreas).¹

Here's the breakdown of comorbidities that our community members reported:

• Atherosclerosis or heart disease: 27 percent
• High blood pressure: 18 percent
• Kidney disease: 9 percent
• Obesity: 9 percent
• Pancreatitis: 9 percent
• Thyroid problems: 27 percent

Risk factors for high triglycerides

Some people may have high triglycerides because of genetics. Others may have them because of lifestyle factors such as poor diet and low physical activity levels.¹

We asked community members whether they had any known risk factors for high triglycerides. Here are a few of the most common risk factors reported:

• Being age 60 or older: 40 percent
• Family history of high triglycerides, high cholesterol, or lipid disorders: 40 percent
• Poor diet (too many refined carbohydrates, saturated fats, sugars): 20 percent

Exploring treatment options

Because high triglyceride levels are a common health issue, there are a variety of treatment options available. Treatment is based on what is causing the high triglyceride levels.¹

We asked our community members, "Which of these treatment options have you tried to help lower your triglycerides?" Here's the breakdown of treatment pathways reported:

• Fibrate medications: 8 percent
• Lifestyle changes (nutrition, exercise): 42 percent
• Prescription omega-3 fatty acids: 8 percent
• Statin medications: 17 percent
• Other: 17 percent
• None of these: 8 percent

Tell us about your sHTG treatment knowledge: How many of the following treatments have you heard of before?

Thank you for sharing your experiences

We deeply appreciate the time our community members took to tell us about their experiences with high triglycerides and sHTG treatment.

If you missed out on sharing yours, you can still make your voice heard! Visit this page to vote in our polls.