Relationship of serum lipoprotein - [a] with carotid intimae media thickness

ABSTRACT

To evaluate the correlation of lipoprotein[a] as a risk factor for accelerated atherosclerosis with intimae-media thickness of carotid artery as a sign of atherosclerosis in chronic renal failure patients, not yet on dialysis, hemodialysed and kidney transplanted patients. One hundred-thirty subjects consist of [group 1] 29 normal healthy persons, [group 2] 33 chronic renal failure not yet on dialysis, [groups 3] 43 hemodialysed patients and [group 4] 25 kidney transplanted patients were evaluated for carotid-intimae-media [IMT] sonography and some laboratory analysis. IMT more than 0.8 mm and Lp[a] more than 39 mg/dl were considered abnormal. There was significant difference of Lp[a] between control group and group 2 and 3. Scheffe test showed a significant difference of IMT between normal subjects and CRF group, HD group and kidney transplanted group. Moreover the study showed significant difference between IMT of CRF patients with HD group. There was a significant correlation between IMT and age in group 1, group 2 and group 3, no significant correlation between IMT and age in group 4 was found, no significant correlation between constant variables [LDL-c, HDL-c, Lp[a], Tg, chol, sex] with IMT [dependent variable] in group 1 and 2 were found. No association between IMT with other lipids [chol, Tg, LDL-c, HDL-c], sex and duration of disease in group 2 and 3 were found. In group 4 only the positive correlation, was between IMT and LDL-c. This study showed positive correlation of lipoprotein [a] with IMT only in hemodialysed patients, which showed effects of dialysis on acceleration of atherosclerosis, and the most important factor in association with thickening of intimae-media complex in normal, CRF as well as hemodialysed and kidney transplanted groups