Relationship between lipoprotein(a) and revascularization after percutaneous coronary intervention in type 2 diabetes mellitus patients with acute coronary syndrome

Background As a residual risk factor for coronary heart disease, lipoprotein(a) [Lp(a)] is associated with the occurrence of cardiovascular events after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). The revascularization rate after PCI is high among diabetic patients. However, the relationship between Lp(a) and revascularization after PCI in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS) remains unclear. Methods The investigation was a single-center, observational, retrospective cohort study. Patients with T2DM who were first diagnosed with ACS and underwent PCI were included in the study. As a result, 362 patients were enrolled and divided into three groups according to tertiles on basis of Lp(a) levels (11.48 mg/dL and 21.70 mg/dL). The incidence of major adverse cardiac events (MACEs), including cardiac death, revascularization due to myocardial ischemia, readmission due to angina, and nonfatal stroke, was evaluated. Subgroups were established according to the low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) level (70 mg/dL). Results During follow-up (median: 2.0 years), 69 MACEs occurred, and 76.81% of these patients underwent revascularization. The Lp(a) level in the MACE group was significantly higher than that in the non-MACE group (22.90 mg/dL vs. 14.10 mg/dL, p < .001). Kaplan-Meier analysis revealed that the incidence of adverse cardiovascular events was significantly higher in the high Lp(a) groups than in the low Lp(a) groups (p = .001), mainly because of the increased occurrence of revascularization irrespective of LDL-C level (<70 mg/dL; >= 70 mg/dL, both p < .05) rather than death, nonfatal stroke, or hospital readmission due to angina (both p > .05). The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve showed that the area under the curve (AUC) for Lp(a) in predicting the occurrence of MACE and revascularization were 0.664 and 0.668 respectively, both p < .05. Furthermore, multivariate Cox regression models indicated that Lp(a) was independently associated with revascularization [medium Lp(a) category: HR (95% CI): 2.988 (1.164-7.671), p = .023; high Lp(a) category: HR (95% CI): 4.937 (2.023-12.052), p < .001]. Conclusion Lp(a) was an independent predictor of revascularization in patients with ACS complicated with T2DM, regardless of LDL-C levels. This suggests that Lp(a) measurement may help identify high-risk diabetic patients with ACS.