Elevated plasma lipoprotein(a) levels were associated with increased risk of cardiovascular events in Chinese patients with stable coronary artery disease

Recent studies have suggested that lipoprotein(a) [Lp(a)] is associated with cardiovascular disease (CVD). However, the contribution of Lp(a) to residual risk of CVD has not been determined in Chinese populations. We conducted a prospective study to evaluate the association between Lp(a) and the risk of major adverse cardiovascular events (MACEs) in patients with stable coronary artery disease (CAD) who received optimal medication treatment (OMT). The study enrolled 1602 patients with stable CAD from 5 hospitals in China. The baseline clinical characteristics and follow-up MACE data for the patients were recorded. Coronary lesion severity was assessed by the Gensini scoring system. All-cause death, non-fatal myocardial infarction, non-fatal stroke and unplanned coronary revascularization were considered MACEs. We found that plasma Lp(a) levels were positively associated with coronary lesion severity at baseline (p < 0.001). During a mean follow-up period of 39.6 months, 166 (10.4%) patients suffered MACEs. There were significant differences in the adjusted event-free survival rates among the Lp(a) quartile subgroups (p = 0.034). The hazard ratio for MACEs was 1.291 (95% confidence interval: 1.091–1.527, p = 0.003) per standardized deviation in the log-transformed Lp(a) level after adjustment for traditional cardiovascular risk factors. Therefore, Lp(a) was an independent predictor of MACEs in Chinese patients with stable CAD who received OMT.