Sven Bos1, Martijne H C Duvekot1, Adriana C Touw-Blommesteijn1, Adrie J M Verhoeven1, Monique T Mulder1, Gerald F Watts2, Eric J G Sijbrands1, Jeanine E Roeters van Lennep3. 1. Department of Internal Medicine, Division Vascular Medicine, Erasmus MC, 's Gravendijkwal 230, 3015 CE, Rotterdam, The Netherlands. 2. Lipid Disorders Clinic, Cardiovascular Medicine, Royal Perth Hospital, School of Medicine and Pharmacology, University of Western Australia, Perth, WA, Australia. 3. Department of Internal Medicine, Division Vascular Medicine, Erasmus MC, 's Gravendijkwal 230, 3015 CE, Rotterdam, The Netherlands. Electronic address: j.roetersvanlennep@erasmusmc.nl.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Lipoprotein (a), also called Lp(a), is a cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factor. Statins do not lower Lp(a), this may at least partly explain residual CVD risk in statin-treated patients with familial hypercholesterolemia (FH). We investigated the association of Lp(a) levels with atherosclerosis in these patients. METHODS AND RESULTS: We performed ultrasonography in 191 statin-treated FH patients (50% men; 48 ± 15 years) to detect carotid plaques and determine carotid intima-media thickness (C-IMT). Patients with high versus low Lp(a) levels (≤0.3 g/L) had similar plaque prevalence (36 and 31%, p = 0.4) and C-IMT (0.59 ± 0.12 and 0.59 ± 0.13 mm, p = 0.8). Patients with and without plaques had similar Lp(a) levels (median 0.35 (IQR: 0.57) and 0.24 (0.64) g/L, respectively, p = 0.4). CONCLUSIONS: The Lp(a) levels were not associated with atherosclerosis in the carotid arteries of statin-treated FH patients. This suggests that adequate statin treatment delays carotid atherosclerosis in FH independently of Lp(a) levels.
BACKGROUND: Lipoprotein (a), also called Lp(a), is a cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factor. Statins do not lower Lp(a), this may at least partly explain residual CVD risk in statin-treated patients with familial hypercholesterolemia (FH). We investigated the association of Lp(a) levels with atherosclerosis in these patients. METHODS AND RESULTS: We performed ultrasonography in 191 statin-treated FHpatients (50% men; 48 ± 15 years) to detect carotid plaques and determine carotid intima-media thickness (C-IMT). Patients with high versus low Lp(a) levels (≤0.3 g/L) had similar plaque prevalence (36 and 31%, p = 0.4) and C-IMT (0.59 ± 0.12 and 0.59 ± 0.13 mm, p = 0.8). Patients with and without plaques had similar Lp(a) levels (median 0.35 (IQR: 0.57) and 0.24 (0.64) g/L, respectively, p = 0.4). CONCLUSIONS: The Lp(a) levels were not associated with atherosclerosis in the carotid arteries of statin-treated FHpatients. This suggests that adequate statin treatment delays carotid atherosclerosis in FH independently of Lp(a) levels.
Authors: Mahtab Sharifi; Elizabeth Higginson; Sven Bos; Angela Gallivan; Darren Harvey; Ka Wah Li; Amali Abeysekera; Angela Haddon; Helen Ashby; Kate E Shipman; Jackie A Cooper; Marta Futema; Jeanine E Roeters van Lennep; Eric J G Sijbrands; Mourad Labib; Devaki Nair; Steve E Humphries Journal: Atherosclerosis Date: 2017-05-13 Impact factor: 5.162