Predictive value of lipoprotein(a) for assessing the prevalence and severity of lower-extremity peripheral artery disease among patients with acute coronary syndrome

Lipoprotein(a) [Lp(a)] is a reliable lipid marker for atherosclerosis. However, the clinical relevance of Lp(a) to lower-extremity peripheral artery disease (LE-PAD) and coronary artery disease (CAD) in the same patient has not been investigated. Patients who received primary percutaneous coronary intervention for the acute coronary syndrome (ACS) were enrolled. Patients who received hemodialysis, required multidisciplinary treatments, or had incomplete medical history were excluded. A total of 175 patients were divided into two groups according to whether they had LE-PAD ( n = 21) or did not ( n = 154), and three multivariable logistic regression models were used to assess if Lp(a) level is associated with LE-PAD prevalence. In addition, serum Lp(a) levels were compared among three groups according to the severity of LE-PAD (none, unilateral, or bilateral) and CAD. Serum Lp(a) levels were significantly higher in patients with LE-PAD than in those without (31.0 mg/dL vs. 13.5 mg/dL, p = 0.002). After adjusting for confounding factors, higher Lp(a) levels were independently associated with the prevalence of LE-PAD in all three models ( p < 0.001 for all). With respect to LE-PAD severity, serum Lp(a) levels were significantly higher in the bilateral LE-PAD groups than in the group with no LE-PAD ( p = 0.005 for all), whereas Lp(a) was not associated with CAD severity. Though Lp(a) levels are associated with the prevalence and severity of LE-PAD, are not associated with the severity of CAD among patients with ACS.