title: [Lipoprotein (a) as a predictor of severity of coronary artery stenosis documented by angiography in male coronary patients under 50 years old].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine the relationship between lipoprotein (a) seric levels with the age of coronary artery disease debut and the severity of coronary lesions in a group of male patients less than 50 years old.
  
  
  METHODS
  We studied a group of 230 male patients, younger than 50 who were consecutively admitted to the hospital because of an ischemic coronary event. During hospitalization, the lipoprotein (a) in plasma was measured in all patients. They were distributed in two groups according to age at time of coronary disease clinical presentation with a cut off age of 40. A group of 142 patients underwent a cardiac catheterism and coronariography due to clinical or electrical unstability.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The lipoprotein (a) levels were related with the number of diseased vessels. In this way lipoprotein (a) levels were 12 mg/dl (1.5-75) in those patients showing a normal coronariography; 27 mg/dl (2. 5-96) in those with one vessel disease; 34 mg/dl (7-90) in those with two vessels affected and 63 mg/dl (2-116) in the case of three-vessel disease, with statistical significance of p = 0.003. No significant differences in lipoprotein (a) levels were found when the age of coronary artery disease presentation was taken into account. In this way lipoprotein (a) levels were 31 mg/dl (2-97) in patients younger than 40 years of age, in comparison to 33 mg/dl (2-94) in those older than 40.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In our community male patients with a diagnosis of coronary artery disease and less than 50 years old showed a relationship between lipoprotein (a) levels and the severity and number of coronary vessel diseases. However, an association between lipoprotein (a) levels with the age of coronary disease presentation was not evident.
authors.affiliation: Sección de Cardiología. Hospital de Cabueñes. Gijón. abatalla@telecable.es
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Batalla Celorio
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Julián Rodríguez Reguero
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Iglesias Cubero
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Hevia Nava
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Braga Fernández
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Fernández Bustillo
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Cortina Llosa
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D017023:Coronary Angiography; D003327:Coronary Disease / Q000097:blood / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D006801:Humans; D017270:Lipoprotein(a) / Q000097:blood*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests
chemical_list: D017270:Lipoprotein(a)