Studies on the serum lipoprotein composition in 50-year-old men. A suggestion of chemical criteria for diagnosis of hyperlipoproteinaemia type III (Broad-beta disease).

The serum lipoprotein (LP) composition in hyperlipoproteinaemia (HLP) type III, when studied in a population of 50-year-old men, was characterized by a high cholesterol/triglyceride ratio in the very low density lipoprotien (VLDL) fraction, a high low density lipoprotein (LDL) triglyceride concentration and a low LDL cholesterol/triglyceride ratio. No one of these three variables, however, was found to be a suitable single parameter for diagnosis for HLP type III because of an overlap between HLP type III and other LP patterns with regard to the studied variables. In an effort to find a parameter with a better discriminative capacity a "III-index" was invented.