What Causes Abnormal Fasting Triglyceride Levels?

Abnormal fasting triglyceride levels can have various causes, ranging in severity from 'worrying' to 'generally fatal'. Finding the true cause means ruling out or confirming each possibility – in other words, diagnosis.

Diagnose your symptoms now!

let The Analyst™ find what's wrong
understand what's happening to your body
learn what you should be doing right now

Diagnosis is usually a complex process due to the sheer number of possible causes and related symptoms. In order to diagnose abnormal fasting triglyceride levels, we could:

Research the topic
Find a doctor with the time
Use a diagnostic computer system.

The process is the same, whichever method is used.

Step 1: List all Possible Causes

We begin by identifying the disease conditions which have "abnormal fasting triglyceride levels" as a symptom. Here are eight of many possibilities (more below):

Syndrome X
Hypothyroidism
Manganese Need
A Weight Problem
Gallbladder Disease
Hypopituitarism
Pregnancy Issues
Need For Exercise

Step 2: Build a Symptom Checklist

We then identify all possible symptoms and risk factors of each possible cause, and check the ones that apply:

meals worsen epigastric pain

partial aspartame/neotame avoidance

poor bodily coordination

very slow fingernail growth

tonsils/adenoids out before age 20

slightly pale stools

diarrhea for 1-3 months

long term history of obesity

bags under eyes

2hr postprandial glucose 160-200mg%

meal-induced pain for 1-4 weeks

severe afternoon/evening fatigue

... and more than 100 others

Step 3: Rule Out or Confirm each Possible Cause

A differential diagnosis of your symptoms and risk factors finds the likely cause of abnormal fasting triglyceride levels:

Cause	Probability	Status
Hypopituitarism	94%	Confirm
Gallbladder Disease	30%	Unlikely
Manganese Need	22%	Unlikely
Syndrome X	1%	Ruled out
Need For Exercise	0%	Ruled out
Pregnancy Issues	0%	Ruled out
Hypothyroidism	0%	Ruled out
A Weight Problem	0%	Ruled out

* This is a simple example to illustrate the process

Arriving at a Correct Diagnosis

The Analyst™ is our online diagnosis tool that learns all about you through a straightforward process of multi-level questioning, providing diagnosis at the end.

If you indicate having had recent lab tests, The Analyst™ will ask further questions including this one:

Triglycerides, fasting. Unit: mg/dL [mmol/L]

Possible responses:

→ Don't know
→ Under 40 [0.45]
→ 40 to 199 [0.45-2.25] (normal)
→ 200 to 600 [2.26-6.78]
→ Over 600 [6.78]

Based on your response to this question, which may indicate low triglycerides, normal triglycerides or hypertriglyceridemia, The Analyst™ will consider possibilities such as:

Acute, Intermittent Porphyria

Aerobic Exercise Need

Alcohol-related Problems

Bulimic Tendency

Chronic Renal Insufficiency

Cigarette Smoke Damage

Diabetes Type II

EFA (Essential Fatty Acid) Type 3 Requirement

Omega-3 fatty acids can have a profound effect on lowering triglyceride levels.

Elevated Cortisol Levels

Excess Carbohydrate Consumption

Gallbladder Disease

Gallstone formation does not correlate with blood cholesterol levels, but persons with low HDL cholesterol (the so-called good cholesterol) levels or high triglyceride levels are at increased risk.

Hypopituitarism

Hypothyroidism

Lupus, SLE (Systemic Lupus Erythematosus)

Manganese Requirement

Manganese can help lower high triglyceride and cholesterol levels.

Pregnancy-Related Issues

Problems Caused By Being Overweight

Syndrome X / Metabolic Syndrome

Concerned or curious about your health? Try The Analyst™