Auto-antibodies against oxidized LDL as a marker of coronary artery disease in patients with familial hypercholesterolaemia

Auto-antibodies to oxidized low-density Iipoprotein (ox-LDL) are thought to play a pivotal role in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis. This study inv estigates the value of auto-antibodies to ox-LDL as a predictive marker of atherosclerosis in patients with both homozygous and heterozygous Familial hypercholesterolaemia (FN), who are known to suffer from severe premature a therosclerosis. The influences of well-established risk factors for atheros clerosis such as age, LDL-cholesterol levels and smoking on the results wer e also determined. Auto-antibody titres to ox-LDL and fasting lipid profile s were measured in 26 homozygous FH patients, 20 heterozygous FH patients w ithout documented coronary artery disease (CAD), 24 heterozygotes with over t CAD and 10 healthy normocholesterolaemic controls. Carotid intima-media t hickness, used as an in vivo assessment of atherosclerosis, was also measur ed in the homozygous FH patients. Ox-LDL titres did not differ between the groups. There was also no association between ox-LDL titres and the LDL-cho lesterol level (P = 0.14), presence or absence of CAD (P = 0.69), age (P = 0.50), carotid intima-media thickness (P = 0.51) or smoking (P = 1.0). In c onclusion, antibody titres against ox-LDL cannot be used as a predictive ma rker of the presence or severity of atherosclerosis in patients with FH.