Lipoprotein(a) levels do not differ in Graves' ophthalmopathy versus Graves' disease without eye involvement in 99 patients (Metab Syndr Relat Disord 2024)

Original title: Serum Lipoprotein(a) Is Not Associated with Graves' Ophthalmopathy

Metab Syndr Relat Disord · 26 October 2023 · 4

Sulu C, Dedeoglu SE, Gonen B, Hepokur M, Guzel AN, Sahin S, Demir AN, Kara Z, Konukoglu D, Damci T, Gonen MS

In a cross-sectional study of 99 patients with Graves' disease (45 with ophthalmopathy, 54 without) and 56 healthy controls, median Lp(a) was 5.7 mg/dL (IQR 4.3-9.2) in the ophthalmopathy group versus 6.7 mg/dL (IQR 3.7-9.9) in those without eye disease, with no significant intergroup difference. LDL cholesterol was higher in euthyroid ophthalmopathy patients than in controls (132 vs 96 mg/dL, P=0.002), but this LDL difference did not extend to Lp(a). The findings do not support Lp(a) as a biomarker or mechanistic link for Graves' ophthalmopathy.

Original abstract

Aim: To investigate the relationship of serum lipoprotein(a) [Lp(a)] and other serum lipids with presence of Graves' ophthalmopathy (GO). Methods: A total of 99 consecutive patients diagnosed with Graves' disease (GD), aged 18-65 years, who had not received prior treatment for GO, thyroid surgery, or radioactive iodine therapy, were recruited between June 2020 and July 2022. In addition, 56 healthy controls (HCs) were included as the control group. All patients underwent an ophthalmological examination, and were classified based on the presence of GO into the GO group (n = 45) and no GO group (n = 54). Fasting blood samples were collected from all participants to analyze serum lipid parameters, including Lp(a), total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, and triglycerides. Results: The median serum levels of Lp(a) were 5.7 [4.3-9.2] in the GO group, 6.7 [3.7-9.9] in the no GO group, and 4.7 [3-7.6] in the HC group. The intergroup comparisons of serum Lp(a) levels showed no significant result. The serum levels of total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, HDL cholesterol, and triglycerides were also similar between the groups (P > 0.05 for all). However, when analyzing only euthyroid GD patients and the control group, the serum LDL cholesterol levels were found to be significantly higher in the euthyroid GO group [median: 132 interquartile range (IQR) (110-148) mg/dL] than in the HCs [median: 96 IQR (94-118) mg/dL] (P = 0.002). Conclusion: The findings of our study did not support the association between serum Lp(a) levels and GO.

Summary written by lp-a.org from the published abstract; figures as published. Page updated 18 August 2026. Methods.