Lp(a) is relatively resistant to statin drugs. In fact, some statin drugs can increase Lp(a). Instead, niacin is a preferred agent to reduce Lp(a). Higher doses of omega-3 fatty acids from fish oil are also another treatment possibility. 

What about the kids?

If you have lipoprotein(a), Lp(a), then you will need to tell your children.

Lp(a) is a "cleanly" inherited genetic pattern: If either parent has it, there's a 50% chance that you have it. If you have it, then there's a 50% likelihood that each of your children has it.

The atherogenicity (plaque-causing potential) of Lp(a) also tends to get transmitted. In other words, if your Dad had a heart attack at age 50 due to Lp(a) and you share Lp(a), then you likely share a similar magnitude of risk as your Dad. If your Mom had Lp(a), though passed quietly at age 89 without any overt evidence of heart disease, then you are likely to share the relatively benign form of Lp(a) of your Mom.

At what age should you tell your children? There's no hard-and-fast rule. However, I generally suggest to patients that they talk about Lp(a) with their children when they reach their 20s or 30s, old enough to begin to understand the implications of this important genetic pattern and begin to think about adopting healthier lifestyles. Is treatment required at, say, age 35? That depends on the pattern of Lp(a)-related heart disease in the family: With exceptionally aggressive forms, it might be reasonable to begin treatment at this relatively early age.

The key with Lp(a) is to check for it. How can you "attack" it if you don't know that you have it? You simply need to ask your doctor to check for it next time your cholesterol or other blood tests are being checked.