When your doctor checks your cholesterol levels, you will usually get a reading of your HDL, LDL and triglyceride levels. But there are other cholesterol particles in the blood that standard cholesterol tests do not always considered like lipoprotein (a) or Lp(a).
Experimenters know less about Lp(a) than other types of cholesterol. But high Lp(a) also affects about 20 to 30 percent of the world population. And a high level is linked to a large risk for heart attacks and strokes. And today we will discuss about Lipoprotein.
About Lipoproteins
Lipoproteins which are the particles in the blood that take cholesterol. There are two main types of cholesterol which is High Density Lipoprotein (HDL) and Low Density Lipoprotein (LDL). Normally, HDL is considered good for you, and LDL cholesterol is considered bad for you. Lp(a) is kind of LDL cholesterol, because of its chemical structure and it is very sticky. This means that it can comfortably stick to the walls of the arteries. And high LDL levels are associate to block the arteries that can cause cardiovascular disease. If your lipoprotein (a) level is largely depends on your genetics. But still they are trying to understand exactly which genes are involved and how other factors can affect how those genes behave in the body. And also there is evidence that chronic inflammation like from autoimmune conditions or chronic infections, and can also raise the Lp(a) levels. But the effect will be much smaller than genetics.
High Lipoprotein Risks
The Lipoprotein particles which are stickier than other types of bad cholesterol, And can be most likely to cause the blockages and clotting. The researchers have seen that the people with the high Lp(a), has a risk of early heart disease and stroke is about 2 to 4 times more than in the general population. Despite the fact that the relation between Lp (a) and heart attacks, checking the levels of Lp(a) flies under many doctors’ radars. This is in part because it is not as well understood as other risk factors, and treatment options are still very less and limited.
High Lipoprotein Signs and Symptoms
Now we discuss the signs that can be signs of High Lipoprotein.
- First is family history of early heart or vascular disease
- Second is elevated LDL cholesterol that does not respond to medication
- Third is heart or vascular disease.
- Fourth is you can have a genetic condition called familial hypercholesterolemia.
- And last is having more than one heart attack or procedure to open blocked arteries.