Is lipoprotein (a) protective of dementia?

Lipoprotein(a) [Lp(a)]–an established risk factor for vascular disease, has been suggested to be associated with risk of dementia, however no prospective evidence exists to support this finding. We aimed to assess the association of Lp(a) with dementia risk. Lp(a) concentration was assessed at baseline in a prospective cohort of 2532 men aged 42–61 years. During a median follow-up of 24.9 years, 228 new cases of dementia were recorded. Lp(a) was approximately log-linearly associated with dementia risk. In age-adjusted analysis, the hazard ratio for dementia in a comparison of extreme quartiles of Lp(a) levels was 0.68 (95 % CI: 0.47–0.99), which persisted after adjustment for several physical measures, history of coronary heart disease, smoking status, history of diabetes, serum lipids, alcohol consumption, and socio-economic status 0.68 (0.46–0.99). Lp(a) is protective of future dementia risk in a middle-aged male Caucasian population. Further research is needed replicate these findings.