Elevated levels of serum PCSK9 in male patients with symptomatic peripheral artery disease: The CAVASIC study

Peripheral artery disease (PAD) affects more than 200 million people worldwide. Increased low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C)levels are a risk factor for PAD and the concentrations are influenced by proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9 (PCSK9). PCSK9 regulates the recycling of the LDL receptors to the cell membrane surface. Only a limited number of mostly small studies investigated the association between serum PCSK9 concentrations and PAD of different definition, which revealed contrasting results. Serum PCSK9, lipoprotein(a) [Lp(a)] and other lipoprotein concentrations were measured in male participants of the CAVASIC study, a case-control study of 248 patients with intermittent claudication and 251 age and diabetes-matched controls. PAD patients had significantly higher PCSK9 concentrations when compared to controls (250 ± 77 vs. 222 ± 68 ng/mL, p median and Lp(a) > 30 mg/dL.