COVID-19 and Lipoprotein(a): Time for Widespread Testing

Lipoprotein(a) is a still largely unknown LDL-cholesterol like molecule. It is, however, the most frequent inherited risk factor for heart attack, stroke, and calcific aortic valve disease. Lipoprotein(a), also known as Lp(a), is inherited in 20–30% of populations tested suggesting that it is elevated in over 1.5 billion people worldwide. Reports on Lp(a) are available in the research and lay press and a book has been published on the topic this year.

A unique feature of Lp(a) is that, in addition to its pro-atherosclerotic and…