FACTOR-ANALYSIS IN THE STUDY OF CORONARY HEART-DISEASE

An analysis of lipids, lipoprotein Lp(a) and fibrinolytic markers was carried out in 3 subject groups: 113 patients with a prior myocardial infarction, 110 subjects, whose close relatives had sustained a myocar dial infarction and in a control group of 107 phenotypically healthy s ubjects. A total of eight factors was extracted by factor analysis, am ong which the sixth one - infarction-fibrinogen was the most important . It is this factor that most reliably determines the group of patient s with myocardial infarction and clearly differentiates them from heal thy subjects. An elevated fibrinogen concentration represents the most important risk predictor of coronary heart disease and subsequent myo cardial infarction, which is strongly supported by its prothrombotic e ffect on the walls of the blood vessels and the development of thrombo sis.