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Abstract
COVID-19 infections decrease total cholesterol, LDL-C, HDL-C, and apolipoprotein A-I, A-II, and B levels while triglyceride levels may be increased or inappropriately normal for the poor nutritional status. The degree of reduction in total cholesterol, LDL-C, HDL-C, and apolipoprotein A-I are predictive of mortality. With recovery lipid/lipoprotein levels return towards pre-infection levels and studies have even suggested an increased risk of dyslipidemia post-COVID-19 infection. The potential mechanisms for these changes in lipid and lipoprotein levels are discussed. Decreased HDL-C and apolipoprotein A-I levels measured many years prior to COVID-19 infections are associated with an increased risk of severe COVID-19 infections while LDL-C, apolipoprotein B, Lp (a), and triglyceride levels were not consistently associated with an increased risk. Finally, data suggest that omega-3-fatty acids and PCSK9 inhibitors may reduce the severity of COVID-19 infections. Thus, COVID-19 infections alter lipid/lipoprotein levels and HDL-C levels may affect the risk of developing COVID-19 infections.
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2
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Bianconi V, Mannarino MR, Ramondino F, Fusaro J, Giglioni F, Braca M, Ricciutelli F, Lombardini R, Paltriccia R, Greco A, Lega IC, Pirro M. Lipoprotein(a) Does Not Predict Thrombotic Events and In-Hospital Outcomes in Patients with COVID-19. J Clin Med 2023; 12:jcm12103543. [PMID: 37240653 DOI: 10.3390/jcm12103543] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/24/2023] [Revised: 05/10/2023] [Accepted: 05/15/2023] [Indexed: 05/28/2023] Open
Abstract
The prothrombotic and proinflammatory properties of lipoprotein(a) (Lp(a)) have been hypothesized to play a role in the pathogenesis of severe COVID-19; however, the prognostic impact of Lp(a) on the clinical course of COVID-19 remains controversial. This study aimed to investigate whether Lp(a) may be associated with biomarkers of thrombo-inflammation and the occurrence of thrombotic events or adverse clinical outcomes in patients hospitalized for COVID-19. We consecutively enrolled a cohort of patients hospitalized for COVID-19 and collected blood samples for Lp(a) assessment at hospital admission. A prothrombotic state was evaluated through D-dimer levels, whereas a proinflammatory state was evaluated through C-reactive protein (CRP), procalcitonin, and white blood cell (WBC) levels. Thrombotic events were marked by the diagnosis of deep or superficial vein thrombosis (DVT or SVT), pulmonary embolism (PE), stroke, transient ischemic attack (TIA), acute coronary syndrome (ACS), and critical limb ischemia (CLI). The composite clinical end point of intensive care unit (ICU) admission/in-hospital death was used to evaluate adverse clinical outcomes. Among 564 patients (290 (51%) men, mean age of 74 ± 17 years) the median Lp(a) value at hospital admission was 13 (10-27) mg/dL. During hospitalization, 64 (11%) patients were diagnosed with at least one thrombotic event and 83 (15%) patients met the composite clinical end point. Lp(a), as either a continuous or categorical variable, was not associated with D-dimer, CRP, procalcitonin, and WBC levels (p > 0.05 for all correlation analyses). In addition, Lp(a) was not associated with a risk of thrombotic events (p > 0.05 for multi-adjusted odds ratios) nor with a risk of adverse clinical outcomes (p > 0.05 for multi-adjusted hazard ratios). In conclusion, Lp(a) does not influence biomarkers of plasma thrombotic activity and systemic inflammation nor has any impact on thrombotic events and adverse clinical outcomes in patients hospitalized for COVID-19.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vanessa Bianconi
- Unit of Internal Medicine, Department of Medicine and Surgery, University of Perugia, 06129 Perugia, Italy
| | - Massimo R Mannarino
- Women's College Research Institute, Women's College Hospital, Toronto, ON M5G 1N8, Canada
| | - Federica Ramondino
- Unit of Internal Medicine, Department of Medicine and Surgery, University of Perugia, 06129 Perugia, Italy
| | - Jessica Fusaro
- Unit of Internal Medicine, Department of Medicine and Surgery, University of Perugia, 06129 Perugia, Italy
| | - Francesco Giglioni
- Unit of Internal Medicine, Department of Medicine and Surgery, University of Perugia, 06129 Perugia, Italy
| | - Marco Braca
- Unit of Internal Medicine, Department of Medicine and Surgery, University of Perugia, 06129 Perugia, Italy
| | - Federica Ricciutelli
- Unit of Internal Medicine, Department of Medicine and Surgery, University of Perugia, 06129 Perugia, Italy
| | - Rita Lombardini
- Unit of Internal Medicine, Department of Medicine and Surgery, University of Perugia, 06129 Perugia, Italy
| | - Rita Paltriccia
- Unit of Internal Medicine, Department of Medicine and Surgery, University of Perugia, 06129 Perugia, Italy
| | - Alessia Greco
- Unit of Internal Medicine, Department of Medicine and Surgery, University of Perugia, 06129 Perugia, Italy
| | - Iliana C Lega
- Women's College Research Institute, Women's College Hospital, Toronto, ON M5G 1N8, Canada
| | - Matteo Pirro
- Unit of Internal Medicine, Department of Medicine and Surgery, University of Perugia, 06129 Perugia, Italy
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3
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Lippi G, Henry BM, Favaloro EJ. The Benefits of Heparin Use in COVID-19: Pleiotropic Antiviral Activity beyond Anticoagulant and Anti-Inflammatory Properties. Semin Thromb Hemost 2023; 49:73-75. [PMID: 35158389 DOI: 10.1055/s-0042-1742740] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Giuseppe Lippi
- Section of Clinical Biochemistry and School of Medicine, University of Verona, Verona, Italy
| | - Brandon M Henry
- Clinical Laboratory, Division of Nephrology and Hypertension, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, Ohio.,Disease Intervention & Prevention and Population Health Programs, Texas Biomedical Research Institute, San Antonio, Texas
| | - Emmanuel J Favaloro
- Department of Haematology, Institute of Clinical Pathology and Medical Research (ICPMR), NSW Health Pathology, Westmead Hospital, Westmead, NSW, Australia.,Sydney Centres for Thrombosis and Haemostasis, Westmead, NSW Australia.,Faculty of Science and Health, Charles Sturt University, Wagga Wagga, NSW, Australia
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Simantiris S, Antonopoulos AS, Papastamos C, Benetos G, Koumallos N, Tsioufis K, Tousoulis D. Lipoprotein(a) and inflammation- pathophysiological links and clinical implications for cardiovascular disease. J Clin Lipidol 2023; 17:55-63. [PMID: 36333256 DOI: 10.1016/j.jacl.2022.10.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/13/2022] [Revised: 10/11/2022] [Accepted: 10/12/2022] [Indexed: 11/05/2022]
Abstract
The role of lipoprotein(a) (Lp[a]) as a significant and possibly causal cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factor has been well established. Many studies, mostly experimental, have supported inflammation as a mediator of Lp(a)-induced increase in CVD risk. Lp(a), mainly through oxidized phospholipids bound to its apolipoprotein(a) part, leads to monocyte activation and endothelial dysfunction. The relationship between Lp(a) and inflammation is bidirectional as Lp(a) levels, besides being associated with inflammatory properties, are regulated by inflammatory stimuli or anti-inflammatory treatment. Reduction of Lp(a) concentration, especially by potent siRNA agents, contributes to partial reversion of the Lp(a) related inflammatory profile. This review aims to present the current pathophysiological and clinical evidence of the relationship between Lp(a) and inflammation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Spyridon Simantiris
- 1st Cardiology Department, Hippokration Hospital, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Vas. Sofias Avenue 114, Athens 11527, Greece (Drs Simantiris, Antonopoulos, Papastamos, Benetos, Tsioufis, and Tousoulis)
| | - Alexios S Antonopoulos
- 1st Cardiology Department, Hippokration Hospital, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Vas. Sofias Avenue 114, Athens 11527, Greece (Drs Simantiris, Antonopoulos, Papastamos, Benetos, Tsioufis, and Tousoulis)
| | - Charalampos Papastamos
- 1st Cardiology Department, Hippokration Hospital, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Vas. Sofias Avenue 114, Athens 11527, Greece (Drs Simantiris, Antonopoulos, Papastamos, Benetos, Tsioufis, and Tousoulis)
| | - Georgios Benetos
- 1st Cardiology Department, Hippokration Hospital, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Vas. Sofias Avenue 114, Athens 11527, Greece (Drs Simantiris, Antonopoulos, Papastamos, Benetos, Tsioufis, and Tousoulis)
| | - Nikolaos Koumallos
- Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Hippokration Hospital, Athens, Greece (Dr Koumallos)
| | - Konstantinos Tsioufis
- 1st Cardiology Department, Hippokration Hospital, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Vas. Sofias Avenue 114, Athens 11527, Greece (Drs Simantiris, Antonopoulos, Papastamos, Benetos, Tsioufis, and Tousoulis)
| | - Dimitris Tousoulis
- 1st Cardiology Department, Hippokration Hospital, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Vas. Sofias Avenue 114, Athens 11527, Greece (Drs Simantiris, Antonopoulos, Papastamos, Benetos, Tsioufis, and Tousoulis).
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5
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Abstract
An elevated cholesterol concentration has been suspected to increase the susceptibility for SARS-COV-2 infection. Cholesterol plays a central role in the mechanisms of the SARS-COV-2 infection. In contrast, higher HDL-cholesterol levels seem to be protective. During COVID-19 disease, LDL-cholesterol and HDL-cholesterol appear to be decreased. On the other hand, triglycerides (also in different lipoprotein fractions) were elevated. Lipoprotein(a) may increase during this disease and is most probably responsible for thromboembolic events. This lipoprotein can induce a progression of atherosclerotic lesion formation. The same is suspected for the SARS-COV-2 infection itself. COVID-19 patients are at increased risk of incident cardiovascular diseases, including cerebrovascular disorders, dysrhythmias, ischemic and non-ischemic heart disease, pericarditis, myocarditis, heart failure, and thromboembolic disorders. An ongoing lipid-lowering therapy, including lipoprotein apheresis, is recommended to be continued during the COVID-19 disease, though the impact of lipid-lowering drugs or the extracorporeal therapy on prognosis should be studied in further investigations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ulrich Julius
- Lipidology and Center for Extracorporeal Therapy, Department of Medicine III, University Hospital Carl Gustav Carus, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany
| | - Ulrike Schatz
- Lipidology and Center for Extracorporeal Therapy, Department of Medicine III, University Hospital Carl Gustav Carus, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany
| | - Sergey Tselmin
- Lipidology and Center for Extracorporeal Therapy, Department of Medicine III, University Hospital Carl Gustav Carus, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany
| | - Henning Morawietz
- Division of Vascular Endothelium and Microcirculation, Department of Medicine III, University Hospital Carl Gustav Carus, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany
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6
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Boffa MB. Beyond fibrinolysis: The confounding role of Lp(a) in thrombosis. Atherosclerosis 2022; 349:72-81. [DOI: 10.1016/j.atherosclerosis.2022.04.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/16/2022] [Revised: 03/24/2022] [Accepted: 04/05/2022] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
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