The routine measurement of homocysteine, uric acid, plasminogen activator inhibitor-1, or other inflammatory markers is not recommended because the benefit of doing so is not sufficiently proven (Grade D).
Your Laboratory can offer now a comprehensive cardiovascular risk assessment panel including i-plaq Test for Lp-PLA2 and help to identify modifiable risk factors for cardiovascular disease events.
The i-plaq Test for Lp-PLA2 is a simple blood test that measures the enzymatic activity of Lp-PLA2 (lipoprotein-associated phospholipase A2), a vascular specific inflammatory marker critical in the formation of rupture-prone plaque.
The i-plaq test for Lp-PLA2 is an enzymatic activity assay and Lp-PLA2 in serum hydrolyzes the sn-2 position of the substrate, 1-myristoyl-2-(4- nitrphenylsuccinyl) phosphatidylcholine, producing a colored reaction product, 4-nitrophenol. The rate of formation of 4-nitrophenol is measured spectrophotometrically and the Lp-PLA2 activity is calculated from the rate of change in absorbance.
The most common clinical chemistry analyzers can be used for measuring the i-plaq Test for Lp-PLA2 like:
The i-plaq Test is calibrated with one human serum based calibrator and uses the internal blank or water blank as the zero point. The calibration curve is valid for 2 weeks with acceptable control performance. Two levels of human serum based controls, one high and one low, are available.
Serum is the recommended sample type:
Proposed guidance values for the i-plaq test.
Each laboratory should establish its own reference ranges.
People with high levels of Lp-PLA2 have an increased risk for CVD events independent from other CVD risk factors.
(Source: The Lp-PLA2 Study Collaboration. Lipoprotein-associated phospholipase A2 and risk for coronary disease, stroke and mortality: collaborative analyses of 32 prospective studies. Lancet. 2010;375:1536-1544) White HD, et al. J Am Heart Assoc. 2013;2:e000360)