“As many as one in five people — an estimated 64 million in the United States — have elevated levels of a tiny particle in their blood. It can greatly increase the risk of heart attacks and strokes. But few know about it, and almost no doctors test for it, because there was not much to be done. Diet does not help. Neither does exercise. There have been no drugs. But in the near future, that may change,” reports the New York Times:
On Sunday, cardiologists announced that an experimental drug made by Eli Lilly, lepodisiran, could lower levels of the particle, Lp(a), by 94 percent with a single injection. The effects lasted for six months and there were no significant side effects.
But it is not yet confirmed that reducing Lp(a) levels also reduces the risk of heart attacks and strokes. That awaits large clinical trials that are now underway….
Treatments targeting Lp(a) have been a long time coming. The lipoprotein was identified in 1974 as a risk factor for heart disease that is controlled by genes rather than lifestyle or environment. People with Lp(a) levels that are slightly higher than normal have about a 25 percent increased risk of a heart attack or a stroke. And very high levels — as seen in 10 percent of the population — can double the risk.
Cardiologists say that often in patients with no obvious reason for having a heart attack or a stroke — whose cholesterol levels and blood pressure are normal and who do not smoke — they learn that the patients have high levels of Lp(a). Usually it turns out they also have family histories of unexplained heart disease. The same goes for people having heart attacks at a young age.
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