Plasma levels of lipoprotein(a) in persons with HIV compared to the general population.

Objective: Elevated lipoprotein(a) increases the risk of cardiovascular disease, and previous research suggests that lipoprotein(a) levels are higher in patients with chronic inflammatory diseases. Knowledge about lipoprotein(a) in persons with HIV (PWH) is sparse. We aimed to assess if living with HIV is associated with high levels of lipoprotein(a).

Methods: From the Copenhagen Comorbidity in HIV infection (COCOMO) study, we included 789 PWH matched on sex and age with 3156 controls from the Copenhagen general population study. All participants underwent uniform physical examinations, blood sampling and responded to questionnaires regarding lifestyle and health. Lipoprotein(a) was measured using isoform-insensitive immunoturbidimetric assays. High levels of lipoprotein(a) were defined as plasma levels >50 mg/dL.

Results: Living with HIV was not associated with high levels of lipoprotein(a) (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 0.98 [95% CI: 0.80 to 1.21], p = 0.88). Furthermore, none of the examined clinical and demographic factors - including age, sex, diabetes, statin therapy, cholesterol levels, renal function and HIV specific risk factors were significantly associated with elevated lipoprotein(a) levels as well as and none of the examined clinical or demographic risk factors were found to be significantly associated with elevated lipoprotein(a) levels.

Conclusion: In this study, living with HIV was not independently associated with high levels of lipoprotein(a) and none of the examined clinical or demographic risk factors were found to be significantly associated with elevated lipoprotein(a) levels.