What is the association between Lp(a) and stroke risk?
Some population-based epidemiological studies have found that Lp(a) is associated with an increased risk of stroke. In the Physicians Health Study, which comprised primarily healthy, white, middle-aged men, there was no association between baseline plasma concentration of Lp(a) and future risk of stroke. However, in the CHS, the risk of stroke was increased 3-fold (RR, 3.00; 95% CI, 1.59 5.65) in older men whose Lp(a) levels were in the highest quintile compared with men with levels in the lowest quintile but not older women. In the ARIC study, the incidence of ischemic stroke was significantly increased in individuals with higher Lp(a) levels after adjustment for age, sex, and CVD risk factors, and this association was stronger in blacks than in whites. 