Thirty-Year Risk of Cardiovascular Disease Among Healthy Women According to Clinical Thresholds of Lipoprotein(a)
Authors' conclusion
Per the results of this cohort study, very high lipoprotein(a) levels correlated with increased 30-year risk of cardiovascular disease among healthy women.
Study context
- Population
- Healthy female health professionals without CVD, cancer or other major chronic illness at baseline, Women's Health Study, 1993–202323,279 with rs3,798,220 genotype
- Participants
- 27,748 professionals
- Exposure
- Lipoprotein(a) clinical thresholds and percentiles; LPA rs3798220 minor allele carriers vs non-carriers
- Outcome
- Incident major CV events, CHD, ischemic stroke and CV death
- Follow-up
- 30 years
Methodological detailsWomen's Health Study, hypothesis formulated after data collection
- Women's Health Study
- Hypothesis formulated after data collection
Main finding
As reported in the abstract
Multivariable-adjusted HRs by lipoprotein(a) threshold · median follow-up 27.8 years
Hazard ratio (95% CI)
>120 mg/dL vs <10 mg/dLmajor CV events
1.54(1.24–1.92)
>99th percentile vs <50th percentilemajor CV events
1.74(1.35–2.25)
>120 mg/dL vs <10 mg/dLCHD
1.80(1.36–2.37)
>99th percentile vs <50th percentileCHD
2.06(1.49–2.84)
>120 mg/dL vs <10 mg/dLischemic stroke
1.41(0.93–2.15)
>99th percentile vs <50th percentileischemic stroke
1.85(1.17–2.93)
>120 mg/dL vs <10 mg/dLCV death
1.63(1.16–2.28)
>99th percentile vs <50th percentileCV death
1.86(1.26–2.72)
Observational data: associations, not effects.
Further findings
Major CV events by LPA rs3798220 genotype (European ancestry)
- rs3798220 minor allele carriers had a higher risk of major CV events
- 3165 major CV events among 23 279 women with genotype information
Original publication
Thirty-Year Risk of Cardiovascular Disease Among Healthy Women According to Clinical Thresholds of Lipoprotein(a). JAMA Cardiol. Published 1 February 2026. doi:10.
Summarised from the published abstract; every number is checked against it