ATLANTA - Emory Healthcare is taking the lead in preventive heart care by encouraging adults, particularly those with a family history of cardiovascular disease, to take a simple blood test that can determine their genetic risk for heart disease.

The one-time test measures a person’s level of Lipoprotein (a) or Lp(a), which is a type of lipid in the blood. An elevated level of Lipoprotein (a) puts a person at higher risk for heart attack, stroke and aortic valve disease. According to Emory Healthcare cardiologist Anurag Mehta, MD, less than 1% of adults get tested, but an astounding one in five adults has an elevated Lipoprotein(a) level. 

“This simple blood test can be requested at a person’s appointment with their clinician and is also available as an on-demand direct to consumer test. It gives us important clues into their genetic risk and allows us to get ahead and start mitigating that risk,” says Mehta, who is also an assistant professor of medicine at Emory University School of Medicine. 

“Although this is a genetic risk for heart disease, it does not mean that there is nothing you can do if you have elevated lp (a)” according to Ijeoma Isiadinso, MD, Associate Professor of Medicine and Director of Preventive Cardiology at Emory Healthcare. “In fact, this is where prevention can have a great impact and treating cardiovascular risk factors can help reduce your risk of developing heart disease”. Cardiologists at Emory are leading several clinical trials to better understand if lowering lp (a) can result in a lower risk of cardiovascular disease. 

Dr. Isiadinso encourages discussing test results with family members. “In addition to knowing one’s risk, cascade screening which involves testing of first-degree relatives of those with elevated lp (a), can identify family members who are unknowingly at increased risk for heart disease and provides them an opportunity to lower their risk as well”. This is why it is so important to know one’s family history. 

Lipoprotein (a) is similar in structure to LDL or low-density lipoprotein and contains another protein called apolipoprotein(a) that increases the chances of creating blood clots. But unlike LDL, genetics control it. “Lipoprotein (a) is a silent risk factor, and many will never know they have it without taking a blood test,” says Mehta.