Lp(a) in the spotlight
An elevated Lp(a) of 50 nmol/L or more is present in 20% of the general population, according to a Danish study. More than 70% of a person’s Lp(a) level is genetically driven. And a genetically driven elevated Lp(a) has been shown to be associated with a twofold to fourfold increased risk of cardiovascular events.
Moreover, other investigators have shown that a severely elevated Lp(a) (greater than 180 nmol/L) poses a cardiovascular risk comparable with that of heterozygous familial hypercholesterolemia and is present in 1 in 100 individuals.
“We spend a lot of time on familial hypercholesterolemia, and we should. But mind you, this severe Lp(a) elevation is more frequent than heterozygous FH,” Dr. Stroes said.
Session cochair Robert H. Eckel, MD, asked the audience for a show of hands by those who regularly measure Lp(a) in their patients. Very few hands were raised.
“I measure Lp(a) frequently, and I think it’s a very important risk factor,” declared Dr. Eckel, professor of medicine and director of the lipid clinic at University of Colorado Hospital, Aurora.
The ANITSCHKOW study was sponsored by Amgen. Dr. Stroes reported receiving institutional research grants from and serving as a paid speaker for Amgen, Merck, Novartis, and Regeneron.