Related Experiment Videos
[Importance of lipoprotein(a) in patients with ischemic heart disease]
Y Nakamura1, Y Yokoi, H Hamaguchi
1Department of Cardiology, Kishiwada Tokushukai Hospital.
Insights
Elevated lipoprotein(a) [Lp(a)] levels are linked to increased ischemic heart disease (IHD) risk and severity. While Lp(a) was higher in IHD patients than controls, its levels did not correlate with disease extent or coronary artery appearance.
Area of Science:
- Cardiovascular Medicine
- Clinical Biochemistry
- Atherosclerosis Research
Context:
- Elevated lipoprotein(a) [Lp(a)] is a known risk factor for ischemic heart disease (IHD).
- The relationship between Lp(a) levels and the severity of coronary artery lesions, including in cases of vasospastic angina, requires further investigation.
- Understanding these associations is crucial for risk stratification and management of cardiovascular disease.
Purpose:
- To examine lipoprotein(a) [Lp(a)], total cholesterol (TC), and high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (HDL-C) levels in patients with ischemic heart disease (IHD).
- To investigate the correlation between Lp(a) levels and the extent of coronary artery disease (CAD) as assessed by coronary angiography.
- To compare Lp(a) and HDL-C levels between IHD patients and healthy controls, and among different CAD severity groups.
Summary:
- Lp(a) levels were significantly higher in IHD patients (12.4 mg/dl) compared to healthy controls (7.1 mg/dl).
- No significant differences in Lp(a) levels were observed based on the extent of coronary artery disease (0VD, SVD, MVD) or angiographic appearance (normal, discrete, diffuse).
- Mean HDL-C levels were significantly higher in zero-vessel disease (0VD) patients than in single-vessel disease (SVD) patients, but not significantly different from controls.
Impact:
- This study highlights the elevated Lp(a) as a significant risk marker for IHD.
- Findings suggest that while Lp(a) is associated with IHD, it may not be a reliable indicator of disease severity or coronary lesion morphology.
- Further research into the role of HDL-C in different stages of CAD is warranted.
Abstract:
Elevated levels of lipoprotein(a) [Lp(a)] have been associated with an increased risk of ischemic heart disease (IHD), and higher levels of Lp(a) are associated with lesions of significantly greater severity. We have examined Lp(a), total cholesterol (TC) and high density lipoprotein-cholesterol (HDL-C) levels in patients with IHD including those with normal coronary arteries with vasospastic angina. The study population consisted of 206 patients (166 males and 40 females) who underwent diagnostic coronary angiography for known IHD. Twenty-eight patients had effort angina, 36 rest angina, 8 unstable angina and 134 old myocardial infarction. IHD patients were categorized as zero vessel disease (0VD), single vessel disease (SVD) and multi-vessel disease (MVD). To investigate the relationship between atherosclerosis and IHD, these patients were further divided into 3 groups based on angiographic findings. Eighteen patients had entirely normal coronary arteries (normal group), 24 discretely diseased coronary arteries (discrete group) and 80 diffusely diseased coronaries (diffuse group). The results were compared with those obtained from 50 healthy individuals. Lp(a) levels for IHD patients (12.4 mg/dl) were significantly higher than those of controls (7.1 mg/dl, p < 0.05). However, there were no statistical differences between 0VD (13.1 mg/dl) and MVD (12.8 mg/dl). Similarly, no statistical differences of Lp(a) values were found among the normal group (13.3 mg/dl), discrete group (12.0 mg/dl) and diffuse group (12.9 mg/dl). Mean levels of HDL-C in 0VD (51.3 +/- 13.5 mg/dl) were significantly higher than those of SVD (42.9 +/- 11.5 mg/dl, p < 0.05). However, no significant differences were observed between controls (59.5 +/- 15.3 mg/dl) and 0VD (51.3 +/- 13.5 mg/dl).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)