Histopathology of Essential Hyperlipemia

When one departs from xanthomatosis, typical histologic abnormahties in EHL are scarce and inconsistently present. The finding of hepatosplenomegaly has frequently resulted in microscopic examination of these organs. 

No abnormalities were observed in several autopsy specimens of the liver (Chapman and Kinney 1941, Martt and Connor 1955, Boggs et al. 1957) and in a biopsy specimen of Joyner s case (1953) taken after regression of a distinctly enlarged liver. This is in contrast to the finding of lipid deposition in the RES cells of the liver by Koszalka and Levin (1950) and by Bruton and Kanter (1951) with reversible parenchymal involvement in the latters case. Intracellular and extracellular lipid infiltration of this organ was found by Camelin et al. (1955) and by Movitt et al. (1951). Their 42 year old patient however suffered from progressive obesity in addition to hyperlipemia. Gaskins et al. (1953) described the occurrence 

Needle biopsies of the spleen were done only in a few cases. While Franklin (1937) reported normal findings, Chapman and Kinney (1941) and Shore and ScHRiRE (1947) were able to find foam cells in their specimens. 

Scattered foam cells in lymph nodes were found in a case by Chapman and Kinney (1941). 

Intracellular lipid droplets, mainly in cells of the RES, do occur in diabetics (ScHULTZE 1912, Warren and Root 1926) and would not appear to be an expression of increased synthesis in vivo but rather the result of phagocytosis by histiocytes caused by the high serum lipid levels. 

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