gene, rs 10 455 872 and rs 3 798 220, are associated with a low number of KIV-2 copies and an increased Lp(a) level and CVD risk [9]. Thus, plasma Lp(a) levels are mostly determined genetically in relation to LPA gene variability which results in a variable number of KIV-2 copies. ABNORMAL LIPOPROTEIN(A) LEVELS Lp(a) levels vary markedly between subjects and population. In the Copenhagen General Population Study, a typical skewed plasma Lp(a) level distribution was shown, with 80% of the population having levels below 50 mg/dL, and only 20% of the population having levels in the 50-200 mg/dL range [10]. Thus, Lp(a) levels > 50 mg/dL, corresponding to the > 80 th percentile, are considered abnormal and a constitute a clinical biomarker of an increased CVD risk. Lowest Lp(a) levels are seen in non-Hispanic whites, higher in Hispanics, and highest in blacks [11]. Of note, however, most studies and metaanalyses indicate an increased CVD risk with Lp(a) levels as low as > 25-30 mg/dL [5]. LIPOPROTEIN(A) AS A RISK FACTOR Epidemiological evidence confirm an independent association between Lp(a) level and CVD risk, although this relation is weaker that the association between LDL cholesterol (LDL-C) level and CVD risk. The latter is more strongly related to Lp(a) levels in the presence of a high LDL-C level but the risk is observed also in subjects with LDL-C level < 1.8 mmol/L [12]. As elevated Lp(a) level is present since birth, it may potentially contribute to CVD risk already during early life, similarly to other genetic risk factors. According to an early metaanalysis of 18 prospective studies in the general population that included 4,000 coronary artery disease (CAD) cases, the relative risk (RR) of CAD in the upper tertile of Lp(a) level compared to the lowest tertile was 1.7 (95% confidence interval [CI] 1.4-1.9) [4]. In subsequent metaanalyses, this association was more modest. In a metaanalysis of three prospective studies that included 9,870 CAD cases, RR of CAD in a comparison of extreme thirds of Lp(a) levels was 1.5 (95% Cl 1.3-1.8) [13]. The largest