Increased levels of lipoprotein (a) are related to family risk factors of cardiovascular disease in children and adolescents from Maracaibo, Venezuela.

The aims of this study were to determine Lipoprotein (a) [Lp(a)] concentrations in a sample of subjects from Maracaibo, Venezuela, and to determine the relationship of family risk factors for cardiovascular disease and their Lp(a) levels. Two hundred twenty-seven healthy individuals between 5 and 19 years of age of both genders and multiethnic origins were selected. A complete background clinical chart and laboratory test was conducted for each patient to discard cardiovascular diseases and confirm their healthy state. The Lp(a) concentration was determined using the double antibody enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay method. For inferential statistical analysis, one-factor analysis of variance tests and Student t test for independent observations were used according to each case, considered significant when P value was <0.05. No significant differences were observed when evaluating Lp(a) levels according to gender in all ages. Males showed no significant difference in Lp(a) levels between groups, but, in females, a significantly lower level (P < 0.03) in the group 5 to 9 years of age was found. When considering only age, significantly lower levels were observed (P < 0.03) in the 5- to 9-year-old group. When studying family risk factors of cardiovascular diseases, it was found that the group with family risk factors had a significantly higher Lp(a) concentration (P < 0.01) than those without family risk factors, observing that those who had four or more factors exhibited a significantly higher concentration than those with two to three risk factors (30.6 +/- 4.5 mg/dL versus 18.5 +/- 12.2 mg/dL, P < 0.009) and than those with one risk factor (30.6 +/- 4.5 mg/dL versus 21.6 +/- 1.4 mg/dL, P < 0.03). These results emphasize the clusters of family risk factors of cardiovascular disease with higher Lp(a) levels and also indicate that the evaluation of its concentration should be taken as an independent risk factor of atherosclerosis for the population in developmental ages.