Advanced Lipoprotein Testing and Subfractionation Are Not (Yet) Ready for Routine Clinical Use
Year: 2009
Type: editorial
Abstract: Standard lipid tests measure the cholesterol or triglyceridecontent of lipoproteins, expressed as mg/dL (or mmol/L) of cholesterol or triglyceride. A standard lipid panel includes total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, and triglycerides. These lipids are carried within lipoprotein particles that are heteroge-neous in size, density, charge, core lipid composition, specific apolipoproteins, and function.1 A variety of lipoprotein assays have been developed that subfractionate lipoprotein particles according to some of these properties such as size, density, or charge.2 These lipoprotein assays have been proposed for im-proving assessment of risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and for guiding lipid-lowering therapies. They are mostly used today in specialized lipid clinics or research studies, and their general utility for clinical practice is not well delineated.3 In this review, I first provide a summary of current guideline statements that address this topic. Then I give a brief overview of the different laboratory methods available for clinical use and discuss the literature evaluating these methods. Finally, I discuss current limi-tations to the widespread clinical application of these methods.
Source: Circulation
Author: Samia Mora
Institutions: Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard University
Language: English
Subfield: Cardiology and Cardiovascular Medicine
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W2031055477