Q. A 52-year-old male comes into your clinic today for his yearly health maintenance evaluation. He has no complaints, and reports being “married” to his job. He is also married to his wife, which he points out in retrospect. He describes having previous problems with “pretty high cholesterol” and inquires about having his cholesterol levels checked today. The patient consumes 2 to 3 alcoholic drinks every evening. On physical examination, his blood pressure is 165/95, pulse 78/min, and respiratory rate 18/min. He weighs 118 kg (260 lb), his height is 177.8 cm (5 feet 10 inches inches), and his BMI is 38 kg/m2. His cardiac exam demonstrates regular rate and rhythm, lungs are clear bilaterally, and his abdomen is obese. His total cholesterol in your clinic today is 321 mg/dL. You ask him to return for a fasting blood sample, which he does. The results are total cholesterol 288 mg/dL, triglycerides 260 mg/dL, high-density lipoprotein (HDL) 38 mg/dL, and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) 195 mg/dL. Based on this patient’s history and lipid profile, which of the following statements is true?