Journal of Clinical Lipidology publishes LipoScience LDL particle study results against CVD

LipoScience, Inc., a highly innovative diagnostic company that is advancing patient care by developing high value proprietary blood tests using nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) technology, today announced publication of a clinical study in the Journal of Clinical Lipidology demonstrating that in many people, low density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol ("bad" cholesterol) is a less accurate predictor of cardiovascular disease (CVD) events than LDL particle number.

LDL cholesterol is transported in spherical LDL particles. High levels of LDL particles are a proven cause of plaque buildup in the arteries, which in turn leads to heart attacks and other CVD events. Clinicians historically have used the LDL cholesterol level, the amount of cholesterol carried within LDL particles, to determine how much treatment, if any, a patient needs. Controlling LDL levels with diet, exercise and LDL-lowering drugs is thus a primary focus of CVD prevention efforts.

"This paper provides additional evidence that measurement of lipoprotein particles in clinical practice might lead to better risk management and prevention of cardiovascular disease," said David C. Goff, Jr., M.D., Ph.D., chair of the Department of Epidemiology and Prevention at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center and an investigator in the study. "Additional studies should be conducted to estimate the potential value of this information for the prevention of cardiovascular disease in the general population.

"In many patients, the standard cholesterol test may not be sufficient to adequately manage LDL levels. Patients who achieve recommended LDL-C goals may not have achieved correspondingly low LDL-P levels and as a consequence, may need further LDL lowering," said Dr. Goff.

Researchers analyzed blood samples obtained at study onset from 5,598 middle-aged men and women free of cardiovascular disease who participated in the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA), a prospective observational study initiated and overseen by the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute. Participants were followed for a mean of 5.5 years for incident CVD events - including heart attack, coronary heart disease death, angina, stroke, stroke death or other artherosclerotic or CVD death.

Because the cholesterol content of LDL particles varies from person to person, there may be disagreement between LDL cholesterol and LDL particle levels. Of 319 total CVD events recorded, 159 occurred in persons with LDL cholesterol and LDL particle numbers that disagreed. The CVD risk of these individuals tracked with LDL particle number regardless of levels of LDL cholesterol. LDL particle levels were measured using LipoScience's NMR LipoProfile^® test, a laboratory test that utilizes nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy to measure LDL and other lipoprotein particles. LDL particle information can help clinicians personalize and refine LDL treatment decisions, particularly to minimize residual risk in patients with low LDL cholesterol levels.