Don’t let this underappreciated and independent risk factor for heart disease sneak up on you. Lipoprotein(a) levels are almost entirely determined by genetics yet rarely included in standard health testing. Find out if your “LP little a” is putting you at risk for heart attacks and strokes. Get secure online results and a physician-reviewed test guide within 4 to 7 days after the lab receives your sample.
Lipoprotein(a) is an independent marker for cardiovascular disease risk, meaning that other tests may not reveal the risk associated with it.
Lp(a) is like LDL, the “bad” cholesterol, in that it is made mostly in the liver and carries cholesterol throughout the body. It has 2 parts: an LDL-like lipoprotein with an apolipoprotein(b) or apo(b) and an apolipoprotein(a) or apo(a).
This apo(a) coils around the fatty core of the particle and can vary in length depending on its looped segments, called kringles. The number of kringles for apo(a) influences the risk it can impose and is thought to be genetically determined.