Mayo Clinic study links Lipoprotein(a) to venous thromboembolism risk

A retrospective cohort study from the Mayo Clinic has found that elevated levels of lipoprotein(a), or Lp(a), are consistently associated with incident venous thromboembolism (VTE). While Lp(a) is a known risk factor for arterial disease, its connection to venous events has previously been considered uncertain.

The study analyzed data from 69,214 patients at Mayo Clinic Enterprise between 1997 and 2026. Researchers found that patients with Lp(a) levels of 50 mg/dL or higher had higher crude VTE rates (2.8%) compared to those with lower levels (1.9%). The study specifically tracked documented cases of deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and pulmonary embolism (PE) following the initial Lp(a) measurement.