Lipoprotein(a) concentrations in healthy subjects in the Dominican Republic - Comparison with Japanese

Previous studies have shown that serum concentrations of lipoprotein(a) [Lp (a)]are markedly different among different ethnic groups. We examined the s erum levels of total cholesterol, high density lipoprotein (HDL) cholestero l and Lp(a) in apparently healthy subjects aged 20-69 years in Japan (n = 8 65) and the Dominican Republic (n = 1,893). Dominicans had significantly lo wer levels of total cholesterol and HDL cholesterol than Japanese. The dist ribution of Lp(a) concentrations were markedly skewed towards low levels in both Japanese and Dominicans. However, the mean Lp (a) concentration in Do minicans was approximately 2 times higher than in Japanese (21.7 +/- 23.7 v s 12.3 +/- 15.9 mg/dl, p < 0.001). This is possibly because the majority of Dominicans are of mixed Negroid and European blood.