Severe hypocholesterolemia with reduced serum lipoprotein(a) in a patient with visceral leishmaniasis.

We report the case of a 36-yr-old man with visceral leishmaniasis who presented with marked hypocholesterolemia, mild hypertriglyceridemia, severely decreased serum levels of HDL-cholesterol, LDL-cholesterol, apolipoproteins AI and B, and increased serum level of apolipoprotein E. Moreover, serum Lp(a) level was markedly reduced on presentation, which is the first published report on Lp(a) levels in kala-azar. Possible mechanisms for the observed alterations of the serum lipid profile are discussed.