Serum lipoprotein (a) in men with proteinuria due to idiopathic membranous nephropathy.
Patients with heavy proteinuria have an increased incidence of venous thrombosis and coronary heart disease (CHD). They also exhibit perturbations in lipoprotein metabolism. Lipoprotein (a) (Lp(a)) predisposes to CHD; it may also promote intravascular thrombosis since it contains apolipoprotein (a), which could act as a competitive inhibitor of plasminogen activation. We have measured the concentration of serum Lp(a) in 10 men with proteinuria due to idiopathic membranous nephropathy (IMN), in eight men with a similar diagnosis but who were in remission, and in 103 healthy men. Serum Lp(a) levels were significantly elevated in the men with active IMN, having a median value of 31.3 (range 3.2-75.0) mg/dl, whereas they were 8.4 (3.4-31.5) mg/dl in the patients in remission, which was similar to the value of 11.3 (< 0.8-87.4) mg/dl found in the healthy controls. Lp(a) is unique in containing an apolipoprotein which is a giant mutant of plasminogen and it is thus possible that the high circulating levels of Lp(a) contribute to the vascular morbidity associated with proteinuria by promoting thrombosis or atherogenesis or both.
Short
C D
CD
Department of Renal Medicine, Royal Infirmary, Manchester, UK.
Durrington
P N
PN
Mallick
N P
NP
Bhatnagar
D
D
Hunt
L P
LP
MBewu
A
A
D000328:Adult; D001053:Apolipoproteins / Q000097:blood; D003327:Coronary Disease / Q000209:etiology; D015433:Glomerulonephritis, Membranous / Q000097:blood* / Q000150:complications; D006801:Humans; D008055:Lipids / Q000097:blood; D017270:Lipoprotein(a) / Q000097:blood*; D008074:Lipoproteins / Q000097:blood; D008297:Male; D011507:Proteinuria / Q000097:blood* / Q000150:complications / Q000209:etiology; D012075:Remission, Spontaneous
D001053:Apolipoproteins; D008055:Lipids; D017270:Lipoprotein(a); D008074:Lipoproteins