Elevated lipoprotein(a) as a predictor for coronary events in older men

Elevated circulating lipoprotein (a) [Lp(a)] is associated with an increased risk of first and recurrent cardiovascular events; however, the effect of baseline Lp(a) levels on long-term outcomes in an elderly population is not well understood. The cur-rent single-center prospective study evaluated the association of Lp(a) levels with incident acute coro-nary syndrome to identify populations at risk of future events. Lp(a) concentration was assessed in 755 individuals (mean age of 71.9 years) within the com-munity and followed for up to 8 years (median time to event, 4.5 years; interquartile range, 2.5-6.5 years). Participants with clinically relevant high levels of Lp(a) (>50 mg/dl) had an increased absolute inci-dence rate of ASC of 2.00 (95% CI, 1.0041) over 8 years (P = 0.04). Moreover, Kaplan-Meier cumulative event analyses demonstrated the risk of ASC increased when compared with patients with low (<30 mg/dl) and elevated (30-50 mg/dl) levels of Lp(a) over 8 years (Gray's test; P = 0.16). Within analyses adjusted for age and BMI, the hazard ratio was 2.04 (95% CI, 1.0-4.2; P = 0.05) in the high versus low Lp(a) groups. Overall, this study adds support for recent guidelines recommending a one-time measurement of Lp(a) levels in cardiovascular risk assessment to identify subpopulations at risk and underscores the potential utility of this marker even among older in-dividuals at a time when potent Lp(a)-lowering agents are undergoing evaluation for clinical use.

Automated summary

This study followed a group of elderly individuals for 8 years and found that elevated Lp(a) levels were associated with an increased risk of acute coronary syndrome. The study supports the recommendation of measuring Lp(a) levels in cardiovascular risk assessment.