Oman Study of Lipoprotein(a) Levels in Acute Coronary Syndrome (Oman SAVECARE)

The increase in the cardiovascular disease (CVD) associated mortality rate in the Middle East (ME) is among the highest in the world. In addition, studies such as the Gulf Registry of Acute Coronary Events (Gulf RACE) and the international case-control analysis of risk factors for a first myocardial infarction (INTERHEART) have found that patients in the ME, who present with heart attacks, are 10 to 12 years younger than those in Western countries. Conventional risk factors have failed to explain completely the increasing burden of Coronary Artery Disease (CAD), thus necessitating the need to search for newer risk factors like lipoprotein a [Lp(a)]. Lp(a) is an independent risk factor for CVD and published studies in different countries have demonstrated the relationship between the concentration of Lp (a) and the severity of CAD. To the best of our knowledge, there are no published data about the concentration of Lp(a) in CAD patients in the Arabian Gulf region. Therefore, the aim of this study is to assess the levels of Lp(a) in patients admitted with premature acute coronary syndrome (ACS) and correlate the levels of Lp(a) with ACS severity and outcomes compared to control group. The study will be a prospective longitudinal case-control study conducted in Sultan Qaboos University Hospital (SQUH) and Royal Hospital (RH) in Oman. The study will help to identify very high risk group of patients who may benefit in future from the new developed therapies to decrease the levels of Lp(a).