Familial hypercholesterolaemia (FH) is a common
genetic disorder characterized by high plasma
low-density lipoprotein (
LDL)-cholesterol and premature
coronary artery disease. Many factors, such as illness, high-dose
statin therapy or a strict
vegan diet can cause hypobetalipoproteinaemia (HBL). The more common secondary causes of HBL in the hospital setting include
cachexia, intestinal malabsorption,
malnutrition, severe
liver disease and
hyperthyroidism. We report a case of HBL in a 43-year-old man with previously demonstrated marked hypercholesterolaemia who attended a
lipid disorders clinic for FH cascade screening. Surprisingly, a
lipid profile taken at that time showed low plasma
LDL-cholesterol and
apolipoprotein B concentrations of 1.6 mmol/L and 0.61 g/L, respectively. He was not on
lipid-lowering
therapy.
DNA sequencing showed that he was heterozygous for the LDLR gene mutation (C677R) present in other affected family members. Of interest, his serum
transaminases were increased by approximately 3-fold and
hepatitis serology and genotyping confirmed a diagnosis of hepatitis C virus (HCV)
infection. In summary, we describe a case of HBL secondary to chronic HCV
infection in a patient with FH, confirmed by mutational analysis.