An hydroalcoholic extract of Curcuma longa lowers the abnormally high values of human-plasma fibrinogen

As pointed out by Pilgeram (1993), 'no disease in the history of mankind ex acts a greater toll in morbidity than heart or blood vessel disease.' Howev er, the physiopathological mechanisms responsible for this disease are not fully understood. Dating back to 1846, Von Rokitansky was the first to prop ose that the accumulation of a fibrous substance on the endothelial wall of arteries is the fundamental cause of coronary heart disease (Von Rokitansk y, 1846), and at about the same time Anitschow (1933) showed that diets hig h in cholesterol and fat result in the formation of atheromatous plaques. A ccording to Pilgeram (1993), this was the origin of the two current concept s of atherogenesis: one based on the formation of fibrous tissue, the other on the accumulation of cholesterol. He concludes that the two mechanisms m ay act in synergy and that the probable atherogenic role of the fiber-formi ng blood protein fibrinogen may help in the conceptual integration of the a bove mechanisms. His own data showed an age-related increase in the plasma levels of fibrinogen which was more striking in atherosclerotic subjects, S trong support for the concept that plasma fibrinogen is a major coronary ri sk factor nad been also provided by Stone and Thorp (1985). They showed tha t in men aged 40-69 years, who were initially free from overt coronary hear t disease, there was a significant positive correlation between initial pla sma fibrinogen levels and the subsequent incidence of heart attacks. Specif ically, in men with high cholesterol or high systolic blood pressure values the frequency of heart attacks was, respectively six and 12 times greater in those with high plasma fibrinogen levels than in those with low fibrinog en levels. Moreover, these authors state: 'In multivariate models plasma fi brinogen was a highly significant and independent explanatory variable, at least as important as serum cholesterol, blood presure or cigarette; smokin g. These results suggest that high plasma fibrinogen levels ale an importan t corollary risk factor and should be included in profiles used to identify those at high risk of heart attacks.'