Familial hyper-alpha-lipoproteinemia: studies in eighteen kindreds.

A newly recognized familial hyperlipoproteinemia, familial hyper-alpha-lipoproteinemia, is described in 18 kindreds. Affected probands and relatives had distinctive elevations of alpha-lipoprotein cholesterol (C-HDL), slight elevations of total cholesterol, no elevation of LDL and VLDL cholesterol, and normal triglyceride levels. The proband and at least one additional first degree relative had distinctive elevations of C-HDL in 16 of 18 kindreds. Simple segregation analysis involving 84 offspring of 22 hyper-alpha X normal-alpha matings from these 16 kindreds revealed a ratio of hyper-alpha to normal of 37:47, a ratio not significantly different from 1:1 (chi 2(1) = 1.2), the ratio consistent with autosomal dominant transmission. Despite the suggestion of a major gene effect by this analysis, evaluation of the C-HDL distribution in kindred members failed to reveal bimodality, and familial correlation analysis revealed no parent-offspring correlation. The present data suggest that an environmental cause common to sibships is possibly important in causing the disorder. Longevity analysis demonstrated elongation of life expectancy for kindred members, and there was an apparent rarity of premature cardiac events.