Lipoprotein-Associated Phospholipase A2, Vascular Inflammation and Cardiovascular Risk Prediction

Circulating lipoprotein-associated phospholipase A2 (Lp-PLA2) is a marker of inflammation that plays a critical role in atherogenesis; its inhibition may have antiatherogenic effects. Studies from the West of Scotland Coronary Prevention Study (WOSCOPS), Monitoring Trends and Determinants in Cardiovascular Diseases (MONICA) and Rotterdam cohorts have shown that Lp-PLA2 is an independent predictor of coronary heart disease (CHD), and the association is not attenuated upon multivariate analysis with traditional risk factors and other inflammatory markers. Studies in subjects with coronary artery disease (CAD) have also shown associations between Lp-PLA2 and cardiovascular risk. At least two recent studies have shown that Lp-PLA2 is a risk predictor for stroke. Overall, epidemiological studies suggest that measurement of Lp-PLA2 in plasma may be a useful in identifying individuals at high risk for cardiovascular events.