Determination of Lp(a) and APO(a) in an Italian population.

Plasma lipoprotein(a) [Lp(a)] levels were determined in an Italian population subdivided according to age and sex. The distribution of plasma Lp(a) levels was highly skewed, with 75% of the subjects having less than 10 mg/dl. No significant differences were found in the plasma Lp(a) levels of the two age groups, but women had significantly higher levels than men. There was no significant correlation between Lp(a) levels and the other lipid and lipoprotein parameters studied, with the exception of a weak correlation between Lp(a) levels and both total cholesterol and low density lipoprotein-cholesterol in younger women. Apoprotein(a) phenotyping was performed in about one-third of the population; an inverse relationship between the molecular weight of the different isoforms and plasma concentrations of Lp(a) was observed.