Low-density lipoprotein particle size is not a discriminating marker for atherogenic risk in male offspring of parents with early coronary artery disease

Abstract

The aim of this study was to assess the importance of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) particle size as a marker of atherogenic risk in male offspring of a parent with early coronary artery disease (CAD) before the age of 60 years. CAD-positive (CAD +) offspring were recruited into two groups based on age, 15 to 30 years (In = 20) and 31 to 45 years in = 41), and matched to CAD-negative (CAD −) offspring by age and body mass index (BMI) (n = 20 and 21 per group). LDL peak particle diameter was assessed by polyacrylamide gradient gel electrophoresis. There was no significant difference in LDL peak particle diameter between CAD + and CAD − offspring (26.2 ± 0.1 v 26.2 ± 0.1 nm, mean ± SE). There was also no difference between CAD + offspring and CAD offspring when comparisons were made within their own age group (26.5 ± 0.1 nm in younger CAD + offspring v 26.2 ± 0.1 nm in younger CAD − offspring, and 26.0 ± 0.1 nm in older CAD + offspring v 26.1 ± 0.2 nm in older CAD − offspring. Peak particle diameter was significantly greater in younger CAD + offspring than in older CAD + offspring (26.5 ± 0.1 v 26.0 ± 0.1 nm, P < .05). We conclude that small LDL particle size is not a discriminating marker for early atherogenic risk, and that measurement of LDL particle size has limited value in the assessment of coronary risk, at least in the age ranges we studied.