A combination of two lipoprotein markers may provide more accurate information about heart disease risk than traditional cholesterol testing alone, according to scientists at Chalmers University of Technology, Sweden, and Harvard University, USA. Data from 200,000 people in the UK Biobank, followed for 15 years, backed up by validation of the results by a Swedish study, demonstrated the importance of cholesterol-carrying lipoproteins in the blood, specifically those that carry apolipoprotein B (ApoB). In excess, they can deposit cholesterol on the walls of blood vessels. The cholesterol they carry—low-density cholesterol (LDL)—is known as bad cholesterol. Current tests remain valid, but 1 in 12 patients may underestimate their risk of heart disease. Another LDL lipoprotein, called lipoprotein (a), should also be tested. They represent less than 1% of all LDL lipoproteins, but some people have very high levels, increasing the risk of heart disease (European Heart Journal, April 28).
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