Lipoprotein(a) levels predict endothelial dysfunction in maintenance hemodialysis patients: evidence from vascular reactivity index assessment

Patients with maintenance hemodialysis (MHD) present endothelial dysfunction (ED), which is characterized by impaired vasodilation and a pro-inflammatory state. Lipoprotein(a) (Lp(a)) has pro-inflammatory and pro-atherogenic properties. No study has investigated the association between serum Lp(a) and ED in patients with MHD. This study was conducted to address this issue. We collected serum specimens from 123 fasting MHD patients. The endothelial function was measured using the vascular reactivity index (VRI) determined by digital thermal monitoring, and VRI values of ≥ 2.0, 1.0 to Of the 123 MHD patients, 54 (43.9%) had good VRI, 51 (41.5%) had intermediate VRI, and 18 (14.6%) had poor VRI. Serum Lp(a) levels (p p p = 0.001) and poor vascular reactivity (poor VRI; p The serum Lp(a) level had a negative correlation with the VRI, and it may serve as a potential biomarker for early detection of ED in MHD patients.