FIBRINOLYTIC-ACTIVITY AND PLATELET-RELEASE REACTION IN ESSENTIAL-HYPERTENSION

The incidence of atherosclerotic and thromboembolic complications is q uite high in hypertensive patients. Blood platelets and fibrinolytic a ctivity may play an important role in the development of these complic ations. We investigated fibrinolytic activity and in vivo platelet rel ease reaction in essential hypertension. Plasma levels of beta thrombo globulin (BTG), platelet factor-4 (PF4), tissue plasminogen activator (t-PA), plasminogen activator inhibitor (PAI-1) and plasminogen were d etermined in 36 essential hypertensive and 20 age and sex-matched cont rol subjects. Plasma BTG levels were significantly higher in the hyper tensive subjects than in controls (p < 0.05), whereas PF4 levels were similar for both groups suggesting an increase of in vivo platelet act ivity. PAI-1 antigen levels were found to be significantly higher in t he hypertensive patients as compared to the control subjects (p < 0.01 ). On the other hand significant variations of t-PA antigen and plasmi nogen values were not observed in the two groups. These results sugges t that essential hypertension is associated with decreased fibrinolyti c activity and enhanced platelet activity as evidenced by high plasma levels of PAI-1 and BTG.