Elevated levels of Lp-PLA2 associated with increased risk of coronary heart disease

A meta-analysis of approximately 80,000 individuals from 32 prospective studies was published in The Lancet on May 1, 2010. The data shows that elevated levels of lipoprotein-associated phospholipase A2 (Lp-PLA2), a vascular-specific inflammatory enzyme, are associated with an increased risk of coronary heart disease similar in magnitude to that with non-HDL cholesterol or systolic blood pressure. The analysis by the Lp-PLA2 Studies Collaboration entitled, "Lipoprotein-associated phospholipase A2 and risk of coronary disease, stroke, and mortality: collaborative analysis of 32 prospective studies," was led by Drs. Alexander Thompson and John Danesh of The University of Cambridge, England.

"More than 600,000 deaths occur annually as a result of coronary heart disease. Risk factors such as smoking, diabetes, high blood pressure and increased levels of LDL or 'bad' cholesterol often fail to account for coronary heart disease in patients," said Dr. Peter Toth, director of Preventative Cardiology at Sterling Rock Falls Clinic in Illinois, who was not involved in the study. "This data further demonstrates the benefit of measuring Lp-PLA2 levels to better determine a patient's risk of suffering a heart attack or ischemic stroke that is not readily apparent by traditional risk factor assessment."

The PLAC® Test, a commercially available test that measures levels of Lp-PLA2, is the only blood test cleared by the FDA for predicting risk for coronary heart disease and ischemic stroke associated with atherosclerosis.

The full text of the study can be found on The Lancet website at:

http://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736%2810%2960319-4/fulltext.