Lipoprotein(a) and the Risk of Chronic Kidney Disease in Hospitalized Japanese Patients

OBJECTIVE: Lipoprotein(a), or Lp(a), has been shown to be associated with the development of chronic kidney disease (CKD) in populations of various ethnicities. This study aimed to investigate the association between serum Lp(a) and CKD in Japanese patients． METHODS: A total of 6,130 subjects who underwent a serum Lp(a) level assessment for any reason (e.g. any type of surgery requiring prolonged bed rest or risk factors for atherosclerosis, such as hypertension or diabetes) were retrospectively investigated at Kanazawa University Hospital from April 2004 to March 2014. Of these, 1,895 subjects were excluded because of the lack of clinical data. Subjects were assessed for Lp(a), low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, triglycerides, hypertension, diabetes, smoking, body mass index (BMI), coronary artery disease (CAD), and CKD (stage ≥3)． RESULTS: When the study subjects were divided into quartiles of Lp(a) levels, significant trends were observed with regard to the presence of CKD (p = 2.7×10(-13)). A multiple regression analysis showed that Lp(a) was significantly associated with CKD [odds ratio (OR), 1.12; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.08-1.17; p = 1.3×10(-7), per 10 mg/dL], independent of other classical risk factors, including age, gender, BMI, hypertension, diabetes, smoking, LDL cholesterol, and triglycerides. Under these conditions, Lp(a) was significantly associated with CAD (OR = 1.11, 95% CI = 1.06-1.16; p = 1.7×10(-6), per 10 mg/dL), independent of other risk factors． CONCLUSION: Serum Lp(a) was associated with CKD, independent of other classical risk factors in a Japanese population．