title: [Clinical significance of serum lipoprotein(a) in elderly patients with aortic valve sclerosis].
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Calcified aortic value disease is increasing with explosively in the elderly. Elevated serum lipoprotein(a) (Lp(a) plays an important role in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis. Thus, we investigated the relationship between aortic valve sclerosis and serum Lp(a) levels in elderly patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  Echocardiography was performed in 97 subjects (77 +/- 7 years, 48 males and 49 females), Lp(a), fasting plasma glucose, and blood pressure were measured at the time of the study. Aortic valve sclerosis was assessed using echocardiography.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Aortic valve sclerosis was observed in 63 patients (sclerosis group; 24 males and 39 females) and not in 34 subjects (non-sclerosis group; 24 males and 10 females). Univariable analysis revealed that age, Lp(a) level, and the number of females were higher in the sclerosis group than in the non-sclerosis group (age; 78 +/- 7 vs 74 +/- 7 years, p = 0.0090, Lp(a); cholesterol, triglyceride, and fasting blood glucose did not seem to affect aortic valve sclerosis. In all of 9 patients with serum Lp(a) greater than 60mg/dl aortic valve sclerosis was present. In discriminative analysis, gender (female) (lambda = 0.9038, p = 0.0020) and Lp(a) (lambda = 0.8316, p = 0.0053) were related to aortic valve sclerosis.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Elevated serum Lp(a) was observed in elderly patients with aortic valve sclerosis.
authors.affiliation: Division of Cardiology, Nagoya City Johoku Hospital, Japan.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Suzuki
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Sato
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Taniguchi
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Miyagawa
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kojima
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Dohi
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Ueda
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001021:Aortic Valve / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology*; D005260:Female; D006349:Heart Valve Diseases / Q000097:blood / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D017270:Lipoprotein(a) / Q000097:blood*; D008297:Male; D012598:Sclerosis; D014463:Ultrasonography
chemical_list: D017270:Lipoprotein(a)