The lowering of serum cholesterol is increasingly recognised as essential in the prevention of coronary heart disease and other atherosclerotic disease. The success of statin trials and the need to deploy these drugs effectively in the population has led increasingly to the identification of many people whose serum cholesterol, triglycerides, and HDL-cholesterol require clinical assessment, and frequently treatment. Lipid disorders are mainly straightforward, but some are complex or resistant to simple treatment strategies. I have reviewed the clinical manifestations of disordered lipid metabolism (dyslipidaemia) and its management.