Photo Credit: Nemes Laszlo

This cross-sectional study measures the association of lipoprotein(a) concentrations in pairs of participants’ first- and second-degree relatives.

A study published in JAMA Cardiology suggests that cascade screening of first-degree relatives of patients with high levels of lipoprotein(a) could identify the risk for atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease. The results of the study, presented by Laurens F. Reeskamp, MD, PhD, and colleagues, support recent guidelines advocating for this approach to pinpoint at-risk individuals based on lipoprotein(a) (Lp(a)) concentrations. To determine the prevalence of increased Lp(a) levels among first- and second-degree relatives compared to unrelated individuals, Reeskamp and colleagues conducted a cross-sectional analysis consisting of 52,418 participants. The researchers found an association between Lp(a) levels among pairs of first-degree and second-degree relatives. A total of 47% of first-degree and 31% of second-degree relatives of index participants with high Lp(a) levels also had elevated concentrations, while 16.4% of unrelated individuals experienced increased Lp(a) levels. The concordance in high Lp(a) levels was generally consistent among subgroups. The study findings suggest that the yield of cascade screening of first-degree relatives of individuals with high Lp(a) levels is over 40%, supporting recent recommendations to use this approach to identify additional individuals at ASCVD risk based on Lp(a) concentrations.