ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE@#To analyze the correlation of lipoprotein(a) [Lp(a)] with the clinical stability and severity of coronary artery stenosis in patients with coronary artery disease (CAD).@*METHODS@#A total of 531 patients undergoing coronary angiography in Nanfang Hospital between January, 2013 and December, 2016 were enrolled in this study. At the cutoff Lp(a) concentration of 300 mg/L, the patients were divided into high Lp(a) group (=191) and low Lp(a) group (=340). In each group, the patients with an established diagnosis of CAD based on coronary angiography findings were further divided into stable angina pectoris (SAP) group and acute coronary syndrome (ACS) group. The correlation between the severity of coronary artery stenosis and Lp(a) was evaluated.@*RESULTS@#The patients in high and low Lp(a) groups showed no significant differences in age, gender, body mass index, smoking status, hypertension, or diabetes (>0.05). Multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that age, gender, and serum levels of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) and Lp(a) were independent risk factors for CAD in these patients. A high Lp(a) level was associated with an increased risk of CAD (OR=2.443, 95%CI: 1.205-4.951, =0.013). The patients with a high Lp(a) level were at a significantly higher risk of CAD than those with a low Lp(a) level irrespective of a low or high level of LDL-C (=0.006 and 0.020). In the patients with CAD, the ACS group had a significantly higher Lp(a) level than the SAP group ( < 0.001); the proportion of the patients with high Gensini scores was significantly greater in high Lp(a) group than in low Lp(a) group (17.3% vs 5.6%, =0.026), and a linear relationship was found between Lp(a) level and Gensini score (R=0.130, =0.006).@*CONCLUSIONS@#Serum level of Lp(a) is an independent risk factor for CAD, and an increased Lp(a) is the residual risk for CAD. In patients with CAD, a high Lp(a) level is associated with the clinical instability and severity of coronary artery stenosis.