Serum Lipids and Cerebrovascular Disease

Abstract

The composition of serum lipids is characteristically altered in patients with atherosclerosis. High concentrations of triglyceride were found more often than elevated concentrations of cholesterol and phospholipids in a study of patients with cerebral, coronary, and aortic atherosclerosis.¹ It has been recently established^1-6 that a defect in the metabolism of triglyceride, with the accumulation of this substance in the plasma, may be the most common lipid derangement in patients with coronary artery disease. The similarity between lipid content of atherosclerotic plaques in cerebral and coronary arteries,⁷ as well as the frequent coexistence of these lesions,^8,9 suggests the possibility of certain common factors in the pathogenesis of such atheromas. The present study extends previous work⁵ dealing with the relationship of serum lipids and coronary artery disease to the problem of cerebrovascular disease. Methods and Material Sixty-three male patients observed in the wards and outpatient clinics of the