PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Lauré M Fijen
AU  - Aldo Grefhorst
AU  - Johannes H M Levels
AU  - Danny M Cohn
TI  - Severe acquired hypertriglyceridemia following COVID-19
AID  - 10.1136/bcr-2021-246698
DP  - 2021 Nov 01
TA  - BMJ Case Reports
PG  - e246698
VI  - 14
IP  - 11
4099  - http://casereports.bmj.com/content/14/11/e246698.short
4100  - http://casereports.bmj.com/content/14/11/e246698.full
SO  - BMJ Case Reports2021 Nov 01; 14
AB  - Severe hypertriglyceridemia is a major risk factor for acute pancreatitis. In exceptional cases, it is caused by plasma components inhibiting lipoprotein lipase activity. This phenomenon is predominantly associated with autoimmune diseases. Here, we report a case of severe hypertriglyceridemia due to a transient reduction in lipoprotein lipase activity following an episode of COVID-19 in an otherwise healthy 45-year-old woman. The lipoprotein lipase activity of the patient was markedly reduced compared with a healthy control and did recover to 20% of the healthy control’s lipoprotein lipase activity 5 months after the COVID-19 episode. Mixing tests substantiated reduced lipolytic capacity in the presence of the patient’s plasma at presentation compared with a homozygous lipoprotein lipase-deficient control, which was no longer present at follow-up. Western blotting confirmed that the quantity of lipoprotein lipase was not aberrant. Fibrate treatment and a strict hypolipidemic diet improved the patient’s symptoms and triglyceride levels.