Lp(a) correlates with coronary disease severity (SYNTAX score, r=0.36) in an Indian angiography cohort (Ann Afr Med 2026)

Introduction: Coronary artery disease is the leading cause of death in India have an estimated age-standardized cardiovascular disease death rate of 272 per 100,000 people. Lipoprotein (a) has atherogenic and prothrombotic properties, which allow it to directly mediate functional linkage. Lipoprotein (a) serves as a functional link between endothelium dysfunction and both atherosclerosis and thrombosis.

Materials And Methods: This study was conducted on patients affected with coronary artery disease attending the outpatient and inpatient services in the department of Cardiology at Sri Ramachandra Institute of Medical Sciences, Chennai for coronary artery angiography for18 months. The lipoprotein (a) levels were correlated with the severity of coronary artery disease.

Results: The mean Age (years) was 56.49 (±11.65) years, ranging from 32 to 86 years. The mean Lipoprotein (a) was 36.73 (±29.17), ranging from 1.18 to 116 mg/dl. Among the subjects, 86 (55.84%) had <30 mg/dl Lipoprotein (a) and 68 (44.16%) had >30 mg/dl Lipoprotein (a). The mean SYNTAX score was 20.21 (±11.12), ranging from 4 to 49. In the given study population, 72 (46.75%) had a SYNTAX score >20 and 82 (53.25%) had SYNTAX score <20. Lipoprotein (a) has a positive correlation with SYNTAX score, with a correlation coefficient of 0.36, which was statistically significant.

Conclusion: This study suggests that Lp (a) levels can be measured in patients with coronary artery disease, especially in people with normolipidaemia, and supports the use of Lp (a) and other risk variables to predict the severity of coronary atherosclerosis.