ΕΠΙΠΕΔΑ ΣΤΟΝ ΟΡΟ ΤΗΣ LP(A) ΛΙΠΟΠΡΩΤΕΙΝΗΣ ΣΕ ΑΣΘΕΝΕΙΣ ΜΕ ΠΕΡΙΦΕΡΙΚΗ ΑΓΓΕΙΟΠΑΘΕΙΑΤΩΝ ΚΑΤΩ ΑΚΡΩΝ
ΔΙΔΑΚΤΩΡΙΚΗ ΔΙΑΤΡΙΒΗ : ΠΑΠΑΣΤΑΜΑΤΙΟΥ ΜΙΛΤΙΑΔΗΣ (1993, Εθνικό και Καποδιστριακό Πανεπιστήμιο Αθηνών (ΕΚΠΑ)
LP(A) IS A RICH IN CHOLESTEROL LIPOPROTEIN. IT WAS FIRST DETECTED IN THE HUMAN PLASMA IN 1963 BY BERG WITH THE USE AN IMMUNOASSAY. ITS DENSITY LIES BETWEEN THOSE OF LDL AND HDL. IT SHARES SIMILAR CHEMICAL STRUCTURE WITH LDL, DUE TO APOLIPOPROTEIN APOB-100 BUT ITS PHYSICAL PROPERTIES ARE DIFFERENT. THE STRUCTURAL FUTURE THAT DISTINGUISHES LP(A) FROM LDL IS THE PRESENCE OF THE APO(A) IN LP(A) THAT IS LINKED TO APOB-100 BY DISULPHIDE BRIDGES. APO(A) SHARES GREAT HOMOLOGY WITH THE PLASMINOGEN MOLECULE LP(A) IS SYNTHESIZED BY THE LIVER AND ITS PHYSIOLOGICAL ROLE SEEMS TO BE THE DELIVERY OF CHOLESTEROL MAINLY TO STEROID PRODUCING PERIPHERAL ORGANS SUCH AS KIDNEYS, ADRENAL CORTEX AND GONADS. LP(A) ISINHERITED AS A QUANTIFIER GENETICALLY CONTROL AND CONSEQUENTLY, ITS LEVELS ARE RELATIVELY INDEPENDENT FROM ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITION, DIET AND THERAPY. ACCORDING TO RECENT REPORTS SERUM CONCENTRATIONS OF LP(A) MAY BE JUST AS IMPORTANT AS THOSE AS LDL AND HDL IN DETERMINING RISK FOR CORONARY HEART DISEASE AND MYOCARDIAL INFARCTION, AS WELL AS ISCHAEMIC CEREBRAL DISEASE AND CEREBRAL STROKES. AS FAR AS PERIPHERAL VASCULAR DISEASE IS CONCERNED THE DATA ARE LIMITED AND CONTRADICTORY. MUCH IS DISCUSSED ON THE RELATION BETWEEN THE VARIOUS RISK FACTORS AND THE DOMINANT OR EXCLUSIVE SITES OF DEVELOPMENT OF THE ATHEROGENIC PROCESS AND FURTHER MORE, DIFFERENT RISK FACTORS ARE ATTRIBUTED TO PVD, FROM THOSERELATED TO ISCHAEMIC HEART DISEASE AND ISCHAEMIC CELEBRAL DISEASE.