Lp(a), the inherited particle Lipoprotein(a)
A sticky particle you were born with, set by your genes.
Also printed asLp(a) · Lpa · Lipoprotein A · Lp a
What it measures
A sticky cholesterol particle whose level is set almost entirely by the genes you were born with.
Raises heart-attack and aortic-valve risk on top of LDL, and barely moves with diet or exercise - so it changes what treatment is chosen.
Why it matters for how long you stay well
It is an independent, lifelong driver of heart and valve disease, so knowing it early changes how hard you work on every other number you can move. It is worth measuring once in a lifetime.
How it shows up in daily life
Nothing you did caused this one, and nothing you eat will change it much, which is oddly freeing once you know.
High and low readings
When it reads high
Raises heart risk independently of diet; worth the physician knowing once in your life.
When it reads low
Low is good and usually stays that way.
What moves it
Daily life
- very little; this one is inherited rather than earned
- everything else on the panel matters more because of it
Read it with
Markers that move this one, or that this one moves. One number read alone can mislead.
- LDL, the carrying cholesterolKnown mechanism
As this rises, LDL rises with it
Lp(a) carries its own cholesterol, and that cholesterol gets counted inside your LDL result. So a high Lp(a) inflates the LDL number without extra LDL particles being there.
Common questions
What does Lipoprotein(a) measure?
A sticky cholesterol particle whose level is set almost entirely by the genes you were born with. Raises heart-attack and aortic-valve risk on top of LDL, and barely moves with diet or exercise - so it changes what treatment is chosen.
What does a high Lp(a) result usually mean?
Raises heart risk independently of diet; worth the physician knowing once in your life.
What does a low Lp(a) result usually mean?
Low is good and usually stays that way.
What is the usual reference range for Lp(a)?
A broad adult reference band is below 30 mg/dL. Labs differ, so read your result against the band printed on your own report.
Educational only, not a diagnosis. A single number means little without your history and the rest of your panel, so discuss your own results with your physician.
Typical adult reference band
- Adults
- below 30 mg/dL
Labs differ. The band printed on your own report is the one that applies to your result.
Reported in mg/dL, nmol/L
Ageing relevance
4/5
A strong independent predictor of illness and mortality in large cohorts.
Indian reference data
Published data on this marker in Indian adults: South Asian Lp(a) meta-analysis; INTERHEART.
Worth knowing
Roughly one adult in five carries a raised level, and it is set almost entirely by the gene you inherited.
Have a report with this marker on it? Read it in context.
Upload it to Oraia, our health-intelligence tool, for a plain-language read of your markers that a Genoryx doctor can review.
Your biological age is a number you can measure.
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