Apolipoproteins AI, AII and HDL phospholipids but not APO-B are risk indicators for occlusive cerebrovascular disease.

A variety of lipids, lipoprotein (Lp) lipids and APO-Lp were measured in 72 patients of both sexes suffering from cerebrovascular arteriopathy and compared with a control group matched for age and sex. The best discriminators by univariate analysis were serum concentrations of APO-AI, followed by APO-AII, high density lipoprotein phospholipids and HDL cholesterol (HDL-C). Low density lipoprotein cholesterol and serum APO-B values were lower in the patients than in the controls. With APO-AI only, patients and controls could be classified with 88-91% certainty. By combination of some of the variables which were selected by a stepwise discriminant analysis, several models were calculated resulting in 93-97% segregation of patients from controls. By multivariate analysis, APO-AI, APO-AII, HDL-C, and triglycerides in combination with the blood pressure or the body weight index were independent variables (in a mathematical sense). By comparing the present data with published results of previous studies it is concluded that cerebral atherosclerosis differs from other forms of atherosclerosis by several major risk indicators.