[rodrig3]

Very interesting recommendation - very much in line with this paper from a few weeks ago: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40878356/

TLDR: women who would otherwise be missed by current algorithms might be picked up by this inflammatory marker (hs-CRP)

[brandonb]

I suspect Lp(a) is next, since there are now drugs in clinical trials that directly lower it.

[uniqueuid]

It’s important to put this in context.

Lp(a) is a largely distinct risk factor from “ordinary” cholesterol and cannot be changed by diet or exercise. Survey papers show practically no effective treatment (statins help all cause mortality in patients but do not lower lp(a)). There are two (iirc) ongoing trials for new, effective drugs. But those are not available yet and will probably be prohibitively expensive, going by the advertisements that the companies run.

So yeah, get an Lp(a) test once (it doesn’t vary too much over time) and reduce your other risk factors, but don’t put too much hope into an easy solution to this specific cause yet.

edit: found the two papers that were a good read:

Kamstrup, P. R. (2021). Lipoprotein(a) and Cardiovascular Disease. Clinical Chemistry, 67(1), 154–166. https://doi.org/10.1093/clinchem/hvaa247

Schwartz, G. G., & Ballantyne, C. M. (2022). Existing and emerging strategies to lower Lipoprotein(a). Atherosclerosis, 349, 110–122. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.atherosclerosis.2022.04.020