Background: In addition to traditional measurements of serum lipid levels, apolipoprotein A-I (apoA-I), apolipoprotein B (apoB), and apoB/apoA-I ratio may add more value to risk assessment guidelines for cardiovascular disease.
Methods: We calculated reference intervals for apoA-I, apoB, and apoB/apoA-I ratio using a reference sample (n=2828) from the FINRISK 2007 study.
Results: The reference intervals for apoA-I were 1.1-2.0 g/l for men and 1.2-2.3 g/l for women. The corresponding reference intervals for apoB were 0.6-1.5 g/l and 0.6-1.3 g/l. The reference intervals for apoB/apoA-I ratio were 0.3-1.0 for men and 0.3-0.8 for women. Compared with the healthy reference group, obese men had the lowest ApoA-I, the highest apoB, and the highest apoB/apoA-I ratio. Men with CVD and cholesterol-lowering medication, or diabetes had lower apoB levels and apoB/apoA-1 ratio than the reference group but the opposite was true for women. The therapeutic goal for low-risk individuals for apoB was 0.9 g/l coinciding with LDL-C concentration of 3.0 mmol/l.
Conclusions: Reference intervals for apoA-I, apoB, and the apoB/apoA-I ratio and their cutoff values may be useful for the risk evaluation and follow-up of treatment among individuals having CVD or other metabolic disorders.
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