Lipoprotein(a)
is a Coronary Risk Factor in Diabetes
Higher
levels of Lipoprotein(a) in patients with type 2 diabetes
increases risk for CAD
A
group of researchers led by Dr Vincenzo Solfrizzi from the
University of Bari in Italy, studied the association of
lipoprotein(a) with lipid and nonlipid risk factors for coronary
artery disease (CAD). The researchers studied 400 of the 5632
elderly people aged 65 to 84 years who were enrolled in the
prevalence survey of the Italian Longitudinal Study on Aging.
The
researchers showed that the interaction between low serum levels
of lipoprotein(a) and high low-density lipoprotein (LDL)
cholesterol did not significantly increase the risk of CAD (odds
ratio 1.39). High serum levels of lipoprotein(a), however, were a
risk factor for CAD when associated with elevated LDL cholesterol
levels and type 2 diabetes. The risk of CAD in nondiabetic
patients with lipoprotein(a) levels >20mg/dL and LDL
cholesterol >3.63mmol/L was increased by 2.75, but this
risk increased to 6.65 in patients with diabetes. The authors
suggest that lipoprotein(a)
is a risk factor for CAD in elderly patients, but only when
associated with other risk factors, such as elevated LDL
cholesterol levels and type 2 diabetes. American
Journal of Cardiology 2002;89:825-9
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