Lipoprotein(a) and risk of dementia: findings from three cohort studies
Peter E Thomas1,2,3, Signe Vedel-Krogh1,2,3, Sune F Nielsen1,2
1Department of Clinical Biochemistry, Copenhagen University Hospital-Herlev and Gentofte, Borgmester Ib Juuls Vej 1, 2730 Herlev, Denmark.
Insights
High lipoprotein(a) levels may increase vascular dementia risk, but not Alzheimer's disease risk. Further research is needed to confirm the link between lipoprotein(a) and dementia.
Area of Science:
- Cardiovascular Science
- Neurology
- Genetics
Background:
- Dementia and atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) share risk factors.
- High lipoprotein(a) is a known ASCVD risk factor, but its role in dementia is unclear.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association between lipoprotein(a) levels and the risk of Alzheimer's disease (AD) and vascular-related dementia (VaD).
- To evaluate the impact of lipoprotein(a) lowering therapies in clinical trials.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of lipoprotein(a) levels in 539,478 individuals from three large cohorts (Copenhagen General Population Study, Copenhagen City Heart Study, UK Biobank).
- Longitudinal follow-up for up to 30.2 years to record AD and VaD diagnoses.
- Statistical analysis accounting for the competing risk of death.
Main Results:
- Lipoprotein(a) levels were not associated with AD or VaD risk on continuous scales.
- In UK Biobank, higher lipoprotein(a) levels correlated with increased VaD risk (P = .01) when accounting for competing risks.
- In Copenhagen studies, LPA KIV-2 repeats (indicating smaller isoform size) were associated with increased AD risk (SHR 1.25).
Conclusions:
- Low lipoprotein(a) levels are not linked to increased dementia risk.
- Very high lipoprotein(a) levels or small isoform size may potentially increase dementia risk, warranting further investigation.
Background And Aims:
Dementia is a leading cause of death and disability that shares risk factors with atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD). High lipoprotein(a) is a causal risk factor for ASCVD while results for dementia are conflicting. With lipoprotein(a) lowering drugs in clinical trials, it was tested whether lipoprotein(a) levels are associated with the risk of Alzheimer's disease and/or vascular-related dementia.
Methods:
Lipoprotein(a) measurements were available in 539 478 individuals from the Copenhagen General Population Study, the Copenhagen City Heart Study, and the UK Biobank. Individuals were followed for up to 30.2 years, during which 6404 developed Alzheimer's disease and 7866 vascular-related dementia. LPA kringle IV type 2 (KIV-2) number of repeats, which determines lipoprotein(a) isoform size and correlates inversely with lipoprotein(a) levels, were available in 117 029 individuals from the Copenhagen studies. Statistical analyses accounted for competing risk of death, important for studies of dementia occurring late in life.
Results:
On continuous scales, lipoprotein(a) levels were not associated with the risk of Alzheimer's disease or vascular-related dementia. When accounting for competing risk of death, absolute risks of vascular-related dementia increased with higher lipoprotein(a) levels in the UK Biobank (n = 452 989; events = 5132; P = .01), but not in the Copenhagen studies (n = 80 313; events = 2734; P = .42). In the Copenhagen studies, LPA KIV-2 number of repeats ≤5th vs > 50th percentiles associated with a subdistribution hazard ratio for Alzheimer's disease of 1.25 (95% confidence interval, 1.06-1.46).
Conclusions:
Low lipoprotein(a) levels were not associated with the risk of Alzheimer's disease or vascular-related dementia. It cannot be excluded that very high lipoprotein(a) or small isoform size increases the risk of dementia.
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