LIPOPROTEIN(A) IN 505 HOSPITALIZED-PATIENTS WITH VARIOUS PATHOLOGICALSTATES - CORRELATIONS WITH CARDIOVASCULAR-DISEASES AND THERAPIES

Objective. Our aim was to study the lipoprotein (a) (Lp(a)) levels in various pathological states. Experimental design. This investigation w as prospective and included a healthy control group. Setting. This stu dy was carried out in two internal medicine and angiology services in teaching hospitals. Patients. 505 patients were included with various diseases: 66 acute infections, 9 HIV infections, 25 cancers, 86 diabet es, 36 systemic diseases, 94 atheromatous vascular disease, 27 arteria l hypertensions. A control group was composed of 21 healthy subjects. Interventions. There was no therapeutic intervention but cardiovascula r treatments were recorded. Measures. Serum Lp(a), total cholesterol, triglycerides, HDL-cholesterol, calculated LDL-cholesterol, apolipopro teins A-I and B were measured together with inflammatory parameters, s erum creatinine, proteinuria, serum aminotransferase activity. Results . There was no difference in Lp(a) levels between controls and each pa tient group. However, a correlation was found in systemic diseases bet ween Lp(a) and C reactive protein (r=0.371, p=0.026) or serum albumin concentration (r=-0.453, p=0.006). In hypertension, Lp(a) correlated w ith serum creatinine (r=0.420, p=0.03). In the whole patient populatio n, Lp(a) was correlated with cholesterol (r=0.156, p=0.0001), apolipop rotein B (r= 0.215, p=0.0001), age (r=0.108, p=0.015), arterial events (r=0.174, p=0.0001) and platelet anti-aggregant drugs (r=0.169, p=0.0 001). Conclusions. Lp(a), was related to atheromatous events and in sy stemic diseases to inflammation, suggesting that Lp(a) might vary in s ome patients in a manner similar to acute phase proteins.