Lipoprotein(a) levels at birth and in early childhood: The COMPARE Study

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: High lipoprotein(a) is a genetically determined causal risk factor for cardiovascular disease, and 20% of the adult population has high levels (ie, >42 mg/dL, >88 nmol/L). We investigated whether early life lipoprotein(a) levels measured in cord blood may serve as a proxy for neonatal venous blood levels, whether lipoprotein(a) birth levels (ie, cord or venous) predict levels later in life, and whether early life and parental levels correlate.

METHODS: The Compare study is a prospective cohort study of newborns (N = 450) from Copenhagen, Denmark, including blood sampling of parents. Plasma lipoprotein(a) was measured in cord blood (N = 402), neonatal venous blood (N = 356), and at 2 (N = 320) and 15 months follow-up (N = 148) of infants, and in parents (N = 705).

RESULTS: Mean lipoprotein(a) levels were 2.2 (95% CI, 1.9-2.5), 2.4 (2.0-2.7), 4.1 (3.4-4.9), and 14.6 (11.4-17.9) mg/dL in cord, neonatal venous, and 2- and 15-month venous samples, respectively. Lipoprotein(a) levels in cord blood correlated strongly with neonatal venous blood levels (R2 = 0.95, P < 0.001) and neonatal levels correlated moderately with 2- and 15-month levels (R2 = 0.68 and 0.67, both P < 0.001). Birth levels ≥ 90th percentile predicted lipoprotein(a) > 42 mg/dL at 15 months with positive predictive values of 89% and 85% for neonatal venous and cord blood. Neonatal and infant levels correlated weakly with parental levels, most pronounced at 15 months (R2 = 0.22, P < 0.001).

CONCLUSIONS: Lipoprotein(a) levels are low in early life, cord blood may serve as a proxy for neonatal venous blood, and birth levels ≥ 90th percentile can identify newborns at risk of developing high levels.