NONOBESE MEN WITH HIGH LIPOPROTEIN(A) VALUES - A CARDIOVASCULAR RISK GROUP DIFFERENT FROM THOSE WITH THE METABOLIC SYNDROME

We have investigated the prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors inc luding insulin and lipoprotein(a) in 40-year old men from the island o f Oland (n = 314, 84% of those invited) in order to assess to what ext ent insulin and lipoprotein(a)-two of the currently discussed risk fac tors-correlated with each other, as well as with some of the more esta blished risk factors. An inverse correlation was found in bivariate an alyses between lipoprotein(a) and some of the risk factors for cardiov ascular disease included in the 'metabolic syndrome' (triglycerides; r = -0.15, BMI; r = -0.18, and insulin/glucose ratio; r = -0.18) (p < 0 .001). In multivariate analysis only the inverse correlation with trig lycerides remained. Since lipoprotein(a) has been shown to be an indep endent risk factor for myocardial infarction, there may exist two subg roups of cardiovascular risk patients: one more obese, hyperinsulinaem ic and with several metabolic derangements; and another comprising non -obese subjects with higher lipoprotein(a) values.