Serum macrophage colony-stimulating factor (M-CSF) level is elevated in patients with old cerebral infarction related to vascular damage

We measured the serum levels of macrophage colony-stimulating factor (M-CSF ) in 37 patients with an old cerebral infarction who had been surmised to h ave a damaged vessel wall and who had been in a stable condition for over t hree months after stroke onset, and those of 41 healthy control subjects, T he M-CSF levels in the patients were significantly higher (P < 0.01) than t hose of the controls at 1320.4 +/- 410.6 unit/ml and 853.9 +/- 180.3 unit/m l, respectively. The plasma levels of von Willebrand factor (VWF) antigen ( P < 0.01) and thrombomodulin (TM) (P < 0.05), as well as those of thrombin- antithrombin III (TAT) complex (P < 0.05), prothrombin fragment 1+2 (F1+2) (P < 0.02), D-dimer products of crosslinked fibrin degradation products (D- dimer) (P< 0.01), and plasmin-antiplasmin (PAP) complex (P < 0.05) in the p atients were also significantly higher than those in the controls. Signific ant positive correlations (P < 0.01) were found between these parameters an d the M-CSF level, but there was no significant correlation between the M-C SF level and the white blood cell count, serum lipids, or blood pressure. B ased on these results, we suggest that an increased M-CSF level indicates v ascular damage or a thrombotic state in patients with an old cerebral infar ction, Am. J. Hematol, 60:185-190, 1999. (C) 1999 Wiley-Liss, Inc.