Background: Increased plasma Lipoprotein (a) (Lp(a)) levels are strongly associated with premature cardiovascular disease and stroke. The kidney is purported to play an important role in apo(a) catabolism. Therefore we investigated plasma Lp(a) levels in relation to kidney function and urinary apo(a) excretion.
Methods: One hundred and sixteen kidney transplant patients with normal or impaired renal function and 109 age- and sex-matched healthy controls were investigated. Plasma Lp(a) and urinary apo(a) levels were determined immunochemically and all other parameters were determined by routine laboratory methods.
Results: Transplant recipients were found to have significantly elevated total cholesterol and LDL-C values, but equal HDL-C values compared to controls. Plasma Lp(a) values were higher and urinary apo(a) excretion was lower in transplant recipients compared to controls, independent of renal function. When the patient group was subdivided into 'normal' and 'impaired creatinine clearance', only the latter group secreted less apo(a) than normal controls.
Conclusion: These data suggest that urinary apo(a) excretion is reduced in transplant recipients with impaired excretory graft function, which may contribute to the elevation of plasma Lp(a) levels in these patients.