Abstract
Auto-antibodies to oxidized low-density lipoprotein (ox-LDL) are thought to play a pivotal role in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis. This study investigates the value of auto-antibodies to ox-LDL as a predictive marker of atherosclerosis in patients with both homozygous and heterozygous familial hypercholesterolaemia (FH), who are known to suffer from severe premature atherosclerosis. The influences of well-established risk factors for atherosclerosis such as age, LDL-cholesterol levels and smoking on the results were also determined. Auto-antibody titres to ox-LDL and fasting lipid profiles were measured in 26 homozygous FH patients, 20 heterozygous FH patients without documented coronary artery disease (CAD), 24 heterozygotes with overt CAD and 10 healthy normocholesterolaemic controls. Carotid intima-media thickness, used as an in vivo assessment of atherosclerosis, was also measured in the homozygous FH patients. Ox-LDL titres did not differ between the groups. There was also no association between ox-LDL titres and the LDL-cholesterol level (P=0·14), presence or absence of CAD (P=0·69), age (P=0·50), carotid intima-media thickness (P=0·51) or smoking (P=1·0). In conclusion, antibody titres against ox-LDL cannot be used as a predictive marker of the presence or severity of atherosclerosis in patients with FH.