RELATION OF CARDIOVASCULAR RISK-FACTORS TO ATHEROSCLEROSIS IN TYPE-III HYPERLIPOPROTEINEMIA

The familial lipoprotein disorder type III hyperlipoproteinemia (HPL) carries a marked increase in the risk of accelerated and premature ath erosclerosis, but there is considerable variation among affected indiv iduals in susceptibility to cardiovascular disease (CVD). We studied t he influence of independent risk factors for atherosclerosis in 67 pat ients with clinically overt type III HPL and homozygosity for apolipop rotein (apo) E2. Among the different risk factors (lipid and lipoprote in levels, age, sex, body mass index, smoking status, hypertension, an d diabetes mellitus) there was only a statistically significant differ ence in age between 25 patients with atherosclerosis and 42 patients w ithout atherosclerosis. Serum lipoprotein (a), [Lp, (a)], levels were 30.6% higher in the atherosclerosis group, but this was not statistica lly significant. We conclude that (in contrast to familial hypercholes terolemia) elevated Lp (a) concentrations may not be regarded as a com ponent of the clinical syndrome of type III HPL.