PLASMA-FIBRINOGEN LEVELS AND THEIR CORRELATES IN 6457 CORONARY HEART-DISEASE PATIENTS - THE BEZAFIBRATE INFARCTION PREVENTION (BIP) STUDY

The association between fibrinogen measured in healthy individuals and subsequent development of ischemic heart disease is well established, but studies reporting fibrinogen levels in coronary heart disease pat ients are scarce. Plasma fibrinogen was determined for 5729 men and 72 8 women (aged 45 to 74) with established coronary heart disease, scree ned for participation in the Bezafibrate Infarction Prevention study, with the following lipid profile at the time of the first screening vi sit: total serum cholesterol less than or equal to 270 mg/dl, high den sity lipoprotein cholesterol less than or equal to 45 mg/dl and trigly ceride less than or equal to 300 mg/dl. Increased age was associated w ith augmented plasma fibrinogen values. Age-adjusted fibrinogen levels were higher in women than in men. A direct association was found betw een mean fibrinogen levels and low density lipoprotein cholesterol. On the other hand, the correlation with high density lipoprotein cholest erol was inverse. Fibrinogen was also associated with body mass index, behavioral variables and severity of coronary heart disease. In a mul tivariable linear regression analysis performed, risk factors consider ed explained merely 6 and 4% of fibrinogen variation for men and women , respectively. Therefore, most of the fibrinogen level variability in coronary heart disease patients is accounted for by factors that rema in to be established by further research.