Figure 2 shows the results of an initial assessment of a patient with severe hypercholesterolemia:  this individual is a 34-year-old male who has no known cardiovascular disease (CVD).  His mother died suddenly with a myocardial infarction (MI) at age 54 years; her lipid levels were not known.  His father recently had bypass surgery at age 62, and his chart LDL-C level was 172 mg/dL.  At presentation the patient\'s baseline lipid levels (mg/dL) were total cholesterol (TC) 394, LDL-C 334, high-density lipoprotein choleseterol (HDL-C) 36, and triglycerides 120 - all indicating a patient with severe hypercholesterolemia.