Familial chylomicronemia syndrome caused by two genetic variants in the APOA5 gene: Severe hypertriglyceridemia that complicates pregnancy.

Abstract

A case of a 29-year-old female patient with a history of a single episode of hypertriglyceridemia-induced pancreatitis 4 years prior is reported. She had been treated with fibrates until 2 months before conception and required hospitalization at 33 weeks of gestation due to severe hypertriglyceridemia (6690 mg/dL) and gestational diabetes. Upon hospital admission, there was no evidence of pancreatitis. A comprehensive treatment approach was initiated, combining a low-fat diet, fibrates, omega-3 fatty acids (2 g/d), and continuous insulin infusion. This regimen resulted in a significant reduction of triglyceride levels to 960 mg/dL. The pregnancy progressed to full term without any maternal-fetal complications. Genetic analysis revealed 2 compound heterozygous mutations in the APOA5 gene, which encodes apolipoprotein AV. Notably, these specific mutations have not been previously reported as causative factors for familial chylomicronemia syndrome (FCS). The diagnosis of FCS was confirmed by the patient's markedly reduced lipoprotein lipase activity of 3.2%.