Lipoprotein(a) belongs to the group of so-called lipoproteins, which are small particles that help transport water-insoluble lipids, cholesterol and cholesterol esters in the blood. In order to enable the transport of these substances in the aqueous phase of the blood, they are bound to proteins. The core of lipoprotein(a) consists of an LDL particle. The main difference from LDL is that lipoprotein(a) is equipped with an additional protein, the “sticky” apolipoprotein(a), which “envelopes” the LDL particle. A test specific for lipoprotein(a) is required to measure its blood level, because a standard LDL test cannot determine how much of LDL is lipoprotein(a). Read more.