APOLIPOPROTEIN(A) PHENOTYPES IN DANES WITH AND WITHOUT CORONARY HEART-DISEASE

We have compared lipoprotein(a) (Lp(a)) concentrations and apoliprotei n (a) (apo(a)) phenotypes in 101 Danish patients with ischemic heart d isease (IHD) with those in 466 Danish reference subjects. The median L p(a) concentration was significantly higher in IHD patients (19.0 mg/d l; 95% CI 14.4-26.4) than in reference men (6.33 mg/dl; 95% CI 5.5-7.3 ). The phenotype distribution in IHD patients and reference men was si gnificantly different (p=0.00811) with higher frequencies of the apo(a ) low molecular weight isoforms in IHD patients. This indicated that L p(a) is a risk factor for IHD in a Danish population and supports the concept that alleles at the apo(a) gene locus predict the risk of IHD.