Epidemiology
Higher Lp(a) tertile independently predicts MACE in 399 patients with heart attack complicated by preserved-ejection-fraction heart failure (Front Cardiovasc Med 2025)
Original title: The correlation between lipoprotein(a) and major adverse cardiovascular events in patients with acute myocardial infarction combined with heart failure with preserved ejection fraction
In a retrospective study of 399 patients hospitalised with acute myocardial infarction combined with heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) and treated with PCI at the First Affiliated Hospital of Dalian Medical University between 2018 and 2023, patients were split into Lp(a) tertiles (T1 at or below 356 mg/L, T2 356-487 mg/L, T3 above 487 mg/L). Across an average 30.5-month follow-up, rising Lp(a) tertile was associated with significantly higher rates of major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE), rehospitalisation for worsening heart failure, non-fatal recurrent myocardial infarction, and unplanned repeat revascularisation (all P < 0.05). Lp(a) remained an independent MACE predictor across unadjusted, partially adjusted and fully adjusted Cox models, with the highest risk in the T3 group, and the association held across subgroup strata. Lp(a) predicted MACE with an area under the curve of 0.662 (95% CI 0.607-0.718), outperforming systolic blood pressure (AUC 0.560) and fasting glucose (AUC 0.543). Lp(a) is a robust, independent risk marker in this specific and understudied AMI-HFpEF population.
Original abstract
Aims: This study aimed to confirm the correlation between lipoprotein(a) [Lp(a)] and major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) in patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) combined with heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF).
Methods: This retrospective study was conducted at the First Affiliated Hospital of Dalian Medical University and included 399 patients who were diagnosed with AMI combined with HFpEF and who were hospitalised and underwent percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) treatment between January 1, 2018, and January 1, 2023. Based on Lp(a) levels, patients were divided into three tertiles: T1 (≤356 mg/L), T2 [356 mg/L < Lp(a) ≤ 487 mg/L], and T3 (>487 mg/L). The study employed univariate and multivariate Cox regression analysis, subgroup analysis, and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis to evaluate the correlation between Lp(a) and MACE.
Results: Compared to the non-MACE group, the MACE group had higher levels of Lp(a) (P < 0.001). Tertile-based analysis of Lp(a) levels showed that as Lp(a) increased, the incidence of MACE, rehospitalization due to worsening HF, non-fatal recurrent MI, and unplanned repeat revascularization all increased significantly (all P < 0.05). During an average follow-up period of 30.5 months, multivariate Cox regression analysis confirmed that Lp(a) consistently remained an independent predictor of MACE across unadjusted, partially adjusted, and fully adjusted models (all P < 0.05). Further component analysis indicated that Lp(a) was significantly associated with cardiac death, rehospitalization due to worsening HF, and non-fatal recurrent MI, with the highest risk observed in the T3 group. Subgroup analysis further demonstrated that the association between elevated Lp(a) and MACE remained statistically significant across various strata (all P < 0.05). ROC curve analysis revealed that the area under the curve (AUC) for Lp(a) in predicting MACE was 0.662 (95% CI: 0.607-0.718), which was higher than that of systolic blood pressure (AUC = 0.560) and fasting plasma glucose (AUC = 0.543), but not significantly different from age (AUC = 0.610, P = 0.211).
Conclusions: In patients with AMI combined with HFpEF, elevated Lp(a) levels were significantly associated with an increased risk of MACE, and this association remained consistent across multiple subgroups.
Summary written by lp-a.org from the published abstract; figures as published. Page updated 18 August 2026. Methods.