Research funded by the British Heart Foundation confirms that a type of cholesterol called Lipoprotein(a) plays a role in causing heart disease. Published in the New England Journal of Medicine, the findings could open new avenues of research for treatments.
Lipoprotein(a), or Lp(a), has been associated with heart disease since the 1990s, but – until now – it has not been possible to distinguish whether it actually causes heart disease. Now a study analysing the genes of nearly 16,000 people from the UK and across Europe has provided evidence that two variations of the gene for Lp(a) are strongly linked to heart disease risk, indicating a causal role in disease development. Professor Hugh Watkins, BHF chair of cardiovascular medicine at the University of Oxford and a lead author of the study, said: “Diet and exercise have little effect on Lp(a) levels, but some existing drugs such as Niacin – and others coming onto the market such as CETP-inhibitors – lower Lp(a) as well as LDL cholesterol. Now that we know that Lp(a) is actually a cause of heart disease, testing whether treatments that lower it actually prevent heart attacks should become a priority.”
