Lipoprotein(A) and Cardiovascular Disease in Ethnic Chinese: The Chin-Shan Community Cardiovascular Cohort Study (Lipids, Lipoproteins, And Cardiovascular Risk Factors) (Clinical Report‪)‬

Lipoprotein(a) [Lp(a)]5 is a low-density lipoprotein particle in which apolipoprotein B-100 is linked by a single disulfide bridge to apolipoprotein(a), which is structurally similar to plasminogen (1, 2). The dual effects of atherogenicity and thrombogenesis from Lp(a) particles make it plausible to investigate the role of Lp(a) in atherosclerosis in a population; however, although many cross-sectional studies of hospital-based populations have consistently shown that Lp(a) is related to various vascular diseases (3-6), the evidence provided by many prospective cohort studies has been equivocal. In addition, previous large-scale prospective cohorts were restricted to women (7), to men(8), or to an older population (9, 10). Moreover, most studies have specified only one vascular outcome, either coronary heart disease (CHD) or stroke, whereas some studies have combined both outcomes into just one endpoint (9). Furthermore, the risk of Lp(a) with respect to cardiovascular events has varied according to ethnicity (11). Few prospective studies have investigated the role of Lp(a) among ethnic Chinese, who have cardiovascular disease patterns distinct from those of Caucasians and African Americans. Therefore, we prospectively investigated the association of plasma Lp(a) concentration with cardiovascular disease and all-cause death among ethnic Chinese in Taiwan. Materials and Methods