ABSTRACT
Hyperlipidemia involves abnormally elevated levels of any or all lipids and/ or lipoproteins in the blood. Hyperlipidemias may basically be classifi ed as familial, caused by specifi c genetic abnormalities, or acquired resulting from another underlying disorder that leads to alterations in plasma lipid and lipoprotein metabolism. This abnormality may also be classifi ed according to which types of lipids are elevated, that is hypercholesterolemia, hypertriglyceridemia or both in combined hyperlipidemia, while elevated levels of lipoprotein(a) may also be classifi ed as a form of hyperlipidemia (Chait and Brunzell 1990; Stone 1994; Ascaso et al. 2007; Yuan et al. 2007).
