Lipid Particles Test Accurately Predicts Cardiovascular Disease

A blood test for low-density lipoprotein (LDL) particles is a more accurate predictor of cardiovascular disease (CVD) events than LDL cholesterol (LDL-C).

A high value proprietary blood test using nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) technology has demonstrated that the amount of cholesterol per low-density lipoprotein particle (LDL-P) is variable and related in part to particle size, with smaller particles carrying less cholesterol.

Scientists at Wake Forest University School of Medicine, (Winston-Salem, NC, USA), analyzed blood samples obtained at study onset from 5,598 middle-aged men and women free of cardiovascular disease, who participated in a prospective observational study. Participants were followed for a mean of 5.5 years for incident CVD events, including heart attack, coronary heart disease death, angina, stroke, stroke death, or other atherosclerotic or CVD death.

Of 319 total CVD events recorded, 159 occurred in persons with LDL-C and LDL-P numbers that disagreed. The CVD risk of these individuals tracked with LDL-P number regardless of levels of LDL-C and only LDL-P numbers were associated with incidence of CVD. LDL particle levels were measured using the NMR LipoProfile test (LipoScience Inc., Raleigh, NC, USA). LDL-P information can help clinicians personalize and refine LDL treatment decisions, particularly to minimize residual risk in patients with low LDL-C levels. Clinicians historically have used the LDL-C level, the amount of cholesterol carried within LDL particles, to determine how much treatment, if any, a patient needs.

David C. Goff, Jr., MD, PhD, an investigator in the study, said, "In many patients, the standard cholesterol test may not be sufficient to adequately manage LDL levels. Patients who achieve recommended LDL-C goals may not have achieved correspondingly low LDL-P levels and as a consequence, may need further LDL lowering." It is recommended that additional studies should be conducted to estimate the potential value of this information for the prevention of cardiovascular disease in the general population. The study was published online on February 14, 2011, in the Journal of Clinical Lipidology.

Related Links:
Wake Forest University
LipoScience Inc.