Lipoprotein(a) serum concentration in familial combined hyperlipidemia

The lipoprotein(a) (Lp(a) concentrations in serum were measured by an ELISA technique in 53 subjects affected by familial combined hyperlipidemia (FCHL) and in 347 healthy individuals. Lp(a) geometric means did not differ significantly between the two groups despite the different distributions. In hyperlipidemic subjects, the distribution was markedly shifted to the right (median 17 mg/dl) while in controls it was highly skewed to the left (median = 11 mg/dl). In FCHL, Lp(a) serum levels did not differ between patients with or without coronary heart disease (CHD). It was concluded that, differently from familial hypercholesterolemia (FH), in FCHL Lp(a) may not be elevated in comparison with an adequate control population.