FIBRINOGEN AS A CARDIOVASCULAR RISK FACTOR IN SPANISH CHILDREN AND ADOLESCENTS

Studies done on adults reveal a significant role of fibrinogen (FG) in cardiovascular disease. The main purpose of our study was to determin e the level of plasma FG in children, its distribution according to ag e and sex, and its relationship to other cardiovascular risk factors s uch as cigarette smoking, plasma lipid disturbances, and a positive fa mily history for other cardiovascular risk factors. We studied a popul ation of 2224 children, aged 2 to 18 years, from five different school s located in Madrid. We found a significantly higher level of FG in th e groups of females aged 6 to 8 and 16 to 18 years than in males of th e same ages (p < 0.001). The study population was distributed into two groups according to the plasma fibrinogen level: >394 mg/dl and <394 mg/dl. In both groups we determined plasma levels of total cholesterol , triglycerides, and very low-density lipoprotein (VLDL) cholesterol a nd found these parameters significantly higher in the group with an FG level >394 mg/dl (p < 0.05).