Nathaniel Lebowitz offers an overview of Lp(a) and the need for more awareness and testing

Interest in lipoprotein(a), or Lp(a), is on the rise thanks to mounting evidence that the genetically inherited lipid particle may be a key missing link in unexplained heart attacks and strokes. While current treatments are limited, experts say that will likely change in the near future when new drugs begin to enter the market.

Nathaniel Lebowitz, MD, who leads preventive cardiology at Hackensack University Medical Center and serves as an assistant professor of internal medicine at Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine, has spent two decades studying this biomarker. He is now part of the American Heart Association (AHA) Lp(a) Discovery Project, a national initiative aimed at expanding physician and patient awareness as new therapies move closer to market. Lebowitz spoke with Cardiovascular Business at length about this important topic.

“Lp(a) is a major, major killer. And most of the population, and even most doctors, don't know the exact degree of how dangerous it really is,” he explained.

Lebowitz noted that Lp(a) is often responsible when patients suffer cardiovascular events despite not showing any of the normal warning signs.

“When somebody who you wouldn't expect to have a stroke or a heart attack has one and does not have traditional risk factors to speak of, check Lp(a), because it will be positive,” he said.