How often should Lipoprotein (a) be measured?

Lipoprotein (a) is a type of bad cholesterol (LDL). A high level of lipoprotein (a) may mean you are at risk for heart disease. Lipoprotein (a) is a genetic risk factor for cardiovascular disease.

Using data from 16,017 unrelated participants from the U.K. Biobank, investigators tested the association between repeat lipoprotein (a) measurements and risk for incident coronary artery disease. After lipoprotein (a) measurement, 15,432 participants had no Coronary Artery Disease (CAD). It was 19.5 nmol/L at baseline and 20.4 nmol/L at follow-up, with a median interval of 4.4 years.

Diet did not influence lipoprotein (a) levels. An increase in lipoprotein (a) was seen in patients who had never taken statins (a group of medicine that lowers cholesterol levels in the blood) and whose baseline lipoprotein (a) level was less than 70 nmol/L. Lipoprotein (a) instability had no relation to coronary artery disease.

This study supports simply monitoring lipoprotein (a) once for primary prevention of cardiovascular disease. The findings also imply that statin treatment has only a minor impact on lipoprotein (a) stability.

Source: Journal of the American College of Cardiology