Severe Hypertriglyceridemia in a Patient Treated With Sirolimus for Graft-vs-Host Disease Prophylaxis

Hypertriglyceridemia is an important and well documented adverse effect caused by the immunosuppressive agent sirolimus. Patients treated with sirolimus require frequent monitoring of blood lipid panels and prompt treatment with appropriate triglyceride-lowering therapies. We report the case of an asymptomatic 65-year-old female stem cell transplant recipient who developed extreme hypertriglyceridemia with levels > 19,000 mg/dL (214 mmol/L) (reference range, < 150 mg/dL [< 1.7 mmol/L]), secondary to sirolimus for prophylaxis of graft-vs-host disease. Acute treatment included admission to the intensive care unit for initiation of an intravenous insulin infusion, low-fat diet, and discontinuation of sirolimus. These measures, in addition to initiation of oral triglyceride-lowering agents and improved glycemic control, led to substantial improvement in triglyceride levels.