1 in 5 people may carry this hidden genetic heart risk — SkimNews
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- Lipoprotein(a) levels at or above 175 nmo/L were independently linked to a 31% higher risk of major adverse cardiovascular events in an analysis of 20,070 participants from the ACCORD, PEACE, and SPRINT NIH randomized trials.
- Over a median 3.98-year follow-up, Lp(a) ≥175 nmo/L was associated with a 49% higher risk of cardiovascular death and 64% higher risk of stroke, though the study found no significant increase in heart attack risk.
- The risk association was stronger among participants who already had heart disease (HR 1.30) than among those without existing heart disease (HR 1.18).
- Approximately 1 in 5 people carry elevated Lp(a), but most are unaware because the condition typically causes no symptoms and standard cholesterol tests do not measure it.
- Subhash Banerjee, MD, an interventional cardiologist at Baylor Scott & White in Dallas, said patients can take a simple, low-cost blood test to detect elevated Lp(a) and should aggressively manage other cardiovascular risk factors if levels are high.
- The late-breaking findings were presented at the Society for Cardiovascular Angiography and Interventions (SCAI) 2026 Scientific Sessions and Canadian Association of Interventional Cardiology Summit in Montreal.
Why it matters: With roughly 20% of the population carrying elevated Lp(a) that standard lipid panels miss, an estimated tens of millions of adults could be walking around with an unmeasured genetic cardiovascular risk factor. The finding that very high Lp(a) specifically raises stroke and cardiovascular death risk—not heart attack—gives clinicians a more precise target for prevention while targeted Lp(a)-lowering therapies remain in development.
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