Lipoprotein(a) [Lp(a)] is increasingly recognised as a crucial and independent risk factor for atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD), calcific aortic valve stenosis (AVS), and possibly heart failure and peripheral artery disease. Lp(a) consists of an LDL-like particle covalently bound to apolipoprotein(a) [apo(a)], a highly polymorphic protein encoded by the LPA gene. The Lp(a) level in plasma is predominantly genetically determined and remains stable throughout life, relatively unaffected by lifestyle, comorbidities or standard lipid-lowering therapies.
