Elevated levels of a type of cholesterol known as Lipoprotein(a) should be considered to be associated with increased risk of cardiovascular disease in African-Americans, reported researchers at Baylor College of Medicine in a presentation at the American Heart Association, Cardiovascular Disease Epidemiology and Prevention 2011 Scientific Sessions in Atlanta.

“The current cholesterol treatment guidelines do not consider this type of cholesterol to be associated with heart disease and strokes in African-Americans despite higher levels of this particular type of cholesterol in African Americans compared with Caucasians,” said Dr. Salim S. Virani, a staff cardiologist at the Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center and an Assistant Professor of medicine at BCM. “It is because there has not been enough representation of the African -American community in research studies to show otherwise.”

Virani and his colleagues studied participants who were already taking part in the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities study, a large-scale bi-racial study designed to investigate the etiology and natural history of atherosclerosis.

“The ARIC study has a diverse group of participants who have been followed for the past 20 years,” said Virani. “We were able to see that indeed this type of cholesterol is associated with a higher risk of heart disease and stroke in African-Americans and the magnitude of risk associated with lipoprotein(a) was at least as strong as in Caucasians”

For more information on study or to talk to Dr. Salim Virani please contact the Office of Communications at Baylor College of Medicine at 713-798-4710.