Lipoprotein (a) in android obesity and NIDDM: a new member in ‘the metabolic syndrome’

The ‘metabolic syndrome’ is a special clinical entity characterized by upper body segment obesity (android obesity), together with one or more of a constellation of metabolic disorders that includes glucose intolerance, which may amount to frank diabetes mellitus, hypertension, cardiovascular lesions, hyperuricemia, and dyslipidemias (hypercholesterolemia, hypertriglyceridemia and reduced serum HDL). Recently, lipoprotein (Lp) (a) proved to be a new member in this syndrome. Lp(a) has the distinctive feature of containing apolipoprotein (a), which is a glycoprotein linked to apo B100, and has a similarity to plasminogen; it is also structurally related to LDL. Lp(a) is a macromolecular complex which is genetically determined, and has been identified as an independent risk factor for premature coronary artery disease (CAD). It is elevated in diabetic and non-diabetic android obese subjects, and aggravates the atherogenic effect of diabetes mellitus. Lp(a) is poorly influenced either by dietary measures or by hypolipidemic drugs. Unfortunately, few pharmacologic agents, such as niacin, nicotinic acid, sex hormones (estrogen and testosterone), alcohol and neomycin, affect Lp(a).