title: Higher Lipoprotein (a) Levels Are Associated with Better Pulmonary Function in Community-Dwelling Older People - Data from the Berlin Aging Study II.
abstract: Reduced pulmonary function and elevated serum cholesterol levels are recognized risk factors for cardiovascular disease. Currently, there is some controversy concerning relationships between cholesterol, LDL-cholesterol, HDL-cholesterol, serum triglycerides and lung function. However, most previous studies compared patients suffering from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) with healthy controls, and only a small number examined this relationship in population-based cohorts. Moreover, lipoprotein a [Lp(a)], another lipid parameter independently associated with cardiovascular diseases, appears not to have been addressed at all in studies of lung function at the population level. Here, we determined relationships between lung function and several lipid parameters including Lp(a) in 606 older community-dwelling participants (55.1% women, 68±4 years old) from the Berlin Aging Study II (BASE-II). We found a significantly lower forced expiration volume in 1 second (FEV1) in men with low Lp(a) concentrations (t-test). This finding was further substantiated by linear regression models adjusting for known covariates, showing that these associations are statistically significant in both men and women. According to the highest adjusted model, men and women with Lp(a) levels below the 20th percentile had 217.3ml and 124.2ml less FEV1 and 239.0ml and 135.2ml less FVC, respectively, compared to participants with higher Lp(a) levels. The adjusted models also suggest that the known strong correlation between pro-inflammatory parameters and lung function has only a marginal impact on the Lp(a)-pulmonary function association. Our results do not support the hypothesis that higher Lp(a) levels are responsible for the increased CVD risk in people with reduced lung function, at least not in the group of community-dwelling older people studied here.
authors.affiliation: Research Group on Geriatrics, Charité -Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Reinickendorfer Str. 61,13347 Berlin, Germany.
authors.forename: Nikolaus
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Buchmann
authors.affiliation: Lipid Clinic at the Interdisciplinary Metabolism Center, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Augustenburger Platz 1,13353 Berlin, Germany.
authors.forename: Ursula
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Kassner
authors.affiliation: Research Group on Geriatrics, Charité -Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Reinickendorfer Str. 61,13347 Berlin, Germany.
authors.forename: Kristina
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Norman
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine II, Centre for Medical Research, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany.
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Goldeck
authors.affiliation: Research Group on Geriatrics, Charité -Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Reinickendorfer Str. 61,13347 Berlin, Germany.
authors.forename: Rahel
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Eckardt
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine II, Centre for Medical Research, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany.
authors.forename: Graham
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Pawelec
authors.affiliation: Research Group on Geriatrics, Charité -Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Reinickendorfer Str. 61,13347 Berlin, Germany; Lipid Clinic at the Interdisciplinary Metabolism Center, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Augustenburger Platz 1,13353 Berlin, Germany.
authors.forename: Elisabeth
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Steinhagen-Thiessen
authors.affiliation: Research Group on Geriatrics, Charité -Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Reinickendorfer Str. 61,13347 Berlin, Germany; Institute of Medical and Human Genetics, Charité -Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Augustenburger Platz 1,13353 Berlin, Germany.
authors.forename: Ilja
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Demuth
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000375:Aging / Q000097:blood*; D005260:Female; D005541:Forced Expiratory Volume; D006801:Humans; D017270:Lipoprotein(a) / Q000097:blood*; D008168:Lung / Q000503:physiopathology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D008954:Models, Biological; D029424:Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive / Q000097:blood / Q000503:physiopathology; D012727:Sex Characteristics
chemical_list: D017270:Lipoprotein(a)