The 2026 annual meeting of the National Lipid Association (NLA) ran from June 11 through June 14, 2026, in Chicago, Illinois. The 2026 NLA Scientific Sessions meeting was four days of networking opportunities, educational sessions, and hands-on learning experiences for lipidologists and associated health care professionals.

Today, we are taking a look at a selection of abstracts related to dyslipidemia from the annual meeting. Some descriptions and conclusions were edited for brevity or clarity. Abstracts from the NLA 2026 Scientific Sessions can be found in the June 2026 supplement issue of the Journal of Clinical Lipidology. 

NLA 2026 Scientific Sessions Abstracts Related to Dyslipidemia

Is a Calcium Score of Zero Perfect? Management of Atherogenic Dyslipidemia in a Patient with Carotid Plaque

  • Description: A 57-year-old nonsmoker female with family history of premature coronary artery disease is referred for optimal management of dyslipidemia and cardiovascular risk reduction.
  • Conclusion: While coronary artery calcium score has been well established as a useful modality to assess cardiovascular risk, it may underestimate the burden of atherogenic plaque. carotid intima-media thickness test is a risk-free tool to enhance risk assessment and avoid missed opportunities. The presence of carotid plaque on carotid intima-media thickness test revealing discordant risk by imaging suggests intensification and more aggressive low-density lipoprotein lowering for cardiovascular risk reduction.

Hiding in Plain Sight: Partial Lipodystrophy with Severe Dyslipidemia, Statin Intolerance, and Premature Coronary Artery Disease in a Triathlete

  • Description: Partial lipodystrophy syndromes (familial/acquired) cause selective loss of subcutaneous fat. In women, especially athletic women, diagnosis may be delayed or misattributed. Metabolic impact includes high risk of premature coronary artery disease.
  • Conclusion: Consider partial lipodystrophy in patients with refractory dyslipidemia and premature coronary artery disease, even with an athletic phenotype, to enable early lipid-lowering therapy and coronary artery disease prevention.

Persistent Regional and Gender Disparities in Dyslipidemia-Associated Ischemic Heart Disease Mortality in the United States (1999–2020)

  • Description: Dyslipidemia is a major modifiable risk factor for ischemic heart disease and remains a key target of cardiovascular prevention strategies. Long-term population-level trends in dyslipidemia-associated ischemic heart disease mortality across census regions and between sexes have not been fully characterized.
  • Conclusion: Dyslipidemia-associated ischemic heart disease mortality demonstrates persistent regional and sex-specific disparities, with the highest burden in the South and a concerning resurgence in both men and women after 2018. These findings highlight the need for earlier screening and more aggressive lipid-lowering strategies.

Impact of an Alert System for Severe Hypercholesterolemia in a Large Healthcare System

  • Description: Severe hypercholesterolemia, defined as low-density lipoprotein cholesterol >190 mg/dL, often reflects underlying familial hypercholesterolemia and requires early identification and prompt treatment to reduce cardiovascular events.
  • Conclusion: Severe hypercholesterolemia remains poorly treated. Implementation of an low-density lipoprotein cholesterol >190 mg/dL alert was associated with a modest increase in LLT initiation. Patients evaluated by preventive cardiology had consistently higher rates of treatment intensification, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol monitoring, and lipid goal attainment.

Impact of Dyslipidemia and Severe Hypercholesterolemia on Mortality, Intestinal Failure, and Resource Utilization in Acute Mesenteric Ischemia

  • Description: Acute mesenteric ischemia is associated with high morbidity and mortality. However, the relationship between dyslipidemia phenotypes and in-hospital outcomes among patients with acute mesenteric ischemia remains poorly characterized in nationally representative inpatient data.
  • Conclusion: Both dyslipidemia and a severe hypercholesterolemia phenotype were independently associated with lower adjusted in-hospital mortality and lower resource utilization.

Effect of Evinacumab on Lp(a) Levels in Adults and Adolescents with Homozygous Familial Hypercholesterolemia: Insights From the ELIPSE Open-Label Extension Study

  • Description: Homozygous familial hypercholesterolemia is a rare genetic disorder characterized by markedly increased low-density lipoprotein cholesterol from birth, increasing lifetime risk for atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease. People with homozygous familial hypercholesterolemia also frequently exhibit elevated levels of lipoprotein (a), another independent risk factor for atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease.
  • Conclusion: Evinacumab produced a modest statistically significant reduction in lipoprotein (a) in patients with homozygous familial hypercholesterolemia, an effect that was more pronounced in adolescent patients. This effect would appear not to involve the low-density lipoprotein receptor nor ANGPTL3-mediated clearance of remnants.

Clinical Outcomes Associated with Lipoprotein(a) Measurements in Patients with Severe Hypercholesterolemia

  • Description: Lipoprotein(a) is currently recognized as an inherited risk enhancer for cardiovascular events, yet the implications of its measurements in patients with severe hypercholesterolemia remain uncertain. Little data exist exploring whether measurement of lipoprotein(a) leads to improved outcomes.
  • Conclusion: In patients with severe hypercholesterolemia, lipoprotein(a) measurement is associated with intensified lipid-lowering therapy and improved survival, despite increased ASCVD events. These findings suggest that lipoprotein(a) measurement serves as a marker of heightened risk that prompts intensified therapy and may improve survival.

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