The relationship of lipoprotein (a) (Lp(a)) to risk factors of coronary heart disease: initial results of the prospective epidemiological study on company employees in Westfalia.

Lp(a) concentrations were determined in 987 male and 477 female company employees in Westfalia, in the age range 17-70 years. These values were then related to age and to the following risk factors: obesity, smoking, hypertension, hypertriglyceridaemia, hypercholesterolaemia, hyperbetalipoproteinaemia, hypoalphalipoproteinaemia, hyperglycaemia and hyperuricaemia. The Lp(a) values showed a similar markedly skewed distribution for both men and women. The median for men was 0.039 g/l, for women 0.050 g/l. In both sexes only about 25% of all Lp(a) values were above 0.10 g/l. Raised Lp(a) values (greater than 0.30 g/l) were found in 6.5% of males and in 6.1% of females. A significantly higher frequency of raised Lp(a) values (greater than 0.30 g/l) was found in: post-menopausal women (11.3% as against 4.1%, p less than 0.01); females with hypercholesterolaemia (19.0% when cholesterol values were greater than or equal to 6.73 mmol/l, 10.8% when cholesterol values were between 5.70-6.72 mmol/l, 3.0% when cholesterol values were less than 5.70 mmol/l, p less than 0.001); and females with hyperbetalipoproteinaemia (22.6% when LDL cholesterol values were greater than or equal to 4.92 mmol/l, 5.0% when LDL cholesterol values were less than 4.92 mmol/l, p less than 0.001). 12.0% of men with hypoalphalipoproteinaemia (HDL cholesterol values less than 0.907 mmol/l) had Lp(a) values greater than 0.30 g/l, as against 5.5% of men with HDL cholesterol values greater than or equal to 0.907 mmol/l (p less than 0.01). This percentage rate increased to 16.9% when hypertriglyceridaemia (greater than or equal to 2.28 mmol/l triglycerides) was also present. All other risk factors which were examined and their combinations had no significant influence on the prevalence of raised Lp(a) concentrations.