Matsubara M, Akita H, Shibuya H, Chiba H
Department of Internal Medicine, Otaru City General Hospital, Otaru, Japan.
Ann Clin Biochem. 2001 Mar;38(Pt 2):120-3. doi: 10.1258/0004563011900416.
Lipoprotein(a) [Lp(a)] is an established risk factor for atherosclerosis. High plasma Lp(a) concentrations are associated with low-molecular-weight (LMW) apolipoprotein(a) (apo a) phenotypes, which raises the question of whether LMW apo a phenotypes occur less frequently in the elderly. To assess this possibility, we studied apo A phenotype and allele frequencies in Japanese subjects > or = 80 years old (men:women = 40:34) in comparison with those <80 years old (men:women = 221:296). Significantly fewer LMW phenotypes and LMW alleles were observed in > or = 80 year old men compared with those < 80 years old: 2.5% versus 16.1% for the LMW phenotype frequency and 1.3% versus 9.7% for the LMW allele frequency (P<0.05, Fisher's exact probability test). Similar differences were not found in the women. Consistent with this, plasma Lp(a) concentrations were significantly lower in the men > or = 80 years old than in the younger group. These results indicate that LMW apo a phenotypes are associated with a shorter lifespan in men but not in women, possibly reflecting the higher susceptibility of men to atherosclerosis.
脂蛋白(a)[Lp(a)]是动脉粥样硬化的一个既定危险因素。高血浆Lp(a)浓度与低分子量(LMW)载脂蛋白(a)(apo a)表型相关，这就提出了一个问题，即LMW apo a表型在老年人中出现的频率是否较低。为了评估这种可能性，我们研究了年龄≥80岁的日本受试者(男性:女性=40:34)的apo A表型和等位基因频率，并与年龄<80岁的受试者(男性:女性=221:296)进行比较。与年龄<80岁的男性相比，年龄≥80岁的男性中观察到的LMW表型和LMW等位基因明显更少：LMW表型频率分别为2.5%和16.1%，LMW等位基因频率分别为1.3%和9.7%(P<0.05，Fisher精确概率检验)。在女性中未发现类似差异。与此一致的是，年龄≥80岁的男性血浆Lp(a)浓度明显低于年轻组。这些结果表明，LMW apo a表型与男性寿命缩短有关，而与女性无关，这可能反映了男性对动脉粥样硬化的易感性更高。
