Abstract: Recently,many studies have focused on the relationship between hyperlipidemia (HL)and acute pancreatitis (AP).HL is a significant cause of AP,but it may also be secondary to AP.Hypertriglyceridemia (HTG) and hypercholesterolemia (HTC) are two types of HL.It is generally believed that HTG may induce AP and AP could increase the incidence of HTG.However,the relationship between HTC and AP has not yet confirmed.The diagnosis of hyperlipidemic acute pancreatitis (HLAP) needs not only the evidence of AP,but also an elevated level of serum lipids.Nevertheless,there still exist some divergent opinions regarding the level of serum lipids.Since the diagnosis of HLAP is critical for the therapy and prognosis,the lack of unified diagnostic criteria poses a great challenge for clinicians.