ABSTRACT
Lipoprotein(a) [Lp(a)] is considered an additional, independent and largely genetically determined risk factor for the development of premature coronary heart disease. Furthermore abnormal plasma lipoprotein patterns have been associated with increased risk for developing coronary heart disease. Among these lipoproteins, an increased concentration of serum Apo B and decreased level of Apo A are considered as major risk factors. together with elevated serum cholesterol and decreased HDL cholesterol. The aim of this study is to assess serum Lp(a) levels in newborns and to observe their evolution between brith, 7 days and 1 month in 64 healthy newborns by using ELISA method, Other lipid profiles were also measured and compared with feeding formula methods. The results obtained were as follows: 1) There were no significant changes from birth to 7 days, but was increased significantly after 7 days to 1 month of serum Lp(a) concentrations. 2) There were dramatic increases between birth and 7 days for Apo B and did not change between 7 days and 1 month, while Apo A-I was already present in significant levels at birth and was changed continuously between 7 days and 1 month. 3) There were marked increases between birth and 7 days for total cholesterol and triglycerides, while after 7 days the cholesterol levels only progressively increased until month. 4) There were continuous increases between birth and 7 days and 1 month for HDL-C, while LDL-C was markedly increased between birth and 7 days. 5) There were no significant correlations between serum Lp(a)concentrations and other lipid profiles neither age, sex and feeding formulas. In conclusion, our data suggest that the adequate timing for the screening test of Lp(a) in newborns is around 1 month after birth and there are no statistically significant correlations between Lp(a) and other lipid profiles.