Thromb Haemost 1994; 72(04): 563-566
DOI: 10.1055/s-0038-1648915
Original Article
Schattauer GmbH Stuttgart

Apolipoprotein(a), Fibrinopeptide A and Carotid Atherosclerosis in Middle-Aged Men

Tuomo Rankinen
1   The Kuopio Research Institute of Exercise Medicine, Kuopio, Finland
,
Sari Väisänen
1   The Kuopio Research Institute of Exercise Medicine, Kuopio, Finland
,
Michele Mercuri
2   The Division of Vascular Ultrasound Research, Bowman Gray School of Medicine, Medical Center Boulevard, Winston-Salem, NC, USA
,
Rainer Rauramaa
1   The Kuopio Research Institute of Exercise Medicine, Kuopio, Finland
› Author Affiliations
Further Information

Publication History

Received 06 April 1994

Accepted after revision 22 June 1994

Publication Date:
06 July 2018 (online)

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Summary

The association between apolipoprotein(a) [apo(a)], fibrinogen, fibrinopeptide A (FPA) and carotid intima-media thickness (IMT) was analyzed in Eastern Finnish men aged 50 to 60 years. Apo(a) correlated directly with carotid bifurcation (r = 0.26, p = 0.001), but not with common carotid IMT. Men in the lowest quartile of apo(a) had thinner (p = 0.013) IMT in bifurcation [1.59 mm (95% Cl 1.49; 1.68)] compared to the men in the highest [1.91 mm (95% Cl 1.73; 2.09)] apo(a) quartile. The difference remained (p=0.038) after adjusting for confounders. Plasma fibrinogen was not related to carotid IMT, whereas FPA correlated with common carotid (r = 0.21, p = 0.016) and carotid bifurcation (r = 0.21, p = 0.018) IMT. These associations abolished after adjusting for the confounders. The data suggest that apo(a) associate with carotid atherosclerosis independent of other risk factors for ischemic cardiovascular diseases.