Lipoprotein(a) Quantitative Trait Locus

**Semantic type:** Disease or Syndrome

**Definition:** A metabolic disorder caused by polymorphisms in the LPA gene that affect the number of kringle-4 repeats in the encoded protein, apolipoprotein(a) (apo(a)). The number of kringle-4 repeats are inversely correlated with apo(a) expression in the blood. Thus, forms of apo(a) with fewer repeats are expressed at elevated levels, which leads to increased concentrations of apo(a)-containing lipoprotein particles and an elevated risk for atherosclerosis, cardiovascular disease, and coronary artery disease.

**Synonyms:** - LPAQTL