THE ASSOCIATION BETWEEN FIBRINOGEN AND BL OOD SEDIMENTATION-RATE DURING COMBINED EXTRACORPOREAL AND MEDICINAL FIBRINOGEN-LOWERING TREATMENT

Fibrinogen appears to play an important role in atherogenesis, whereby high levels of fibrinogen can lead to a disturbance of the haemorheol ogic pattern. To evaluate the association between fibrinogen and blood sedimentation rate (BSR) 40 patients suffering from cerebral multiinf arct disease underwent a single heparin-induced extracorporeal LDL < f ibrinogen > precipitation (HELP). Subsequently they were randomly assi gned to two groups, either receiving sustained-release bezafibrate 400 mg daily (n = 2 1) or placebo (n = 19) over a period of eight weeks. HELP led to a statistically significant reduction of fibrinogen (p < 0 .0001). At the end of the trial the difference between the bezafibrate group and the controls became significant (p < 0.05). The BSR strictl y followed the course of fibrinogen, indicating a significant reductio n after HELP (p < 0.0001 for both BSR values) and a difference between both groups at the end of the study (p < 0.05 and p < 0.03, respectiv ely). The correlation between fibrinogen and BSR remained significant during the whole trial.