title: Platelet aggregations, fatty acids, clotting factors and serum lipids in rural and urban blacks, and urban whites in South Africa.
abstract: Platelet fatty acids, platelet aggregations, and coagulation factors were measured in 27 rural blacks, 27 urban blacks and 39 urban whites. Platelets were significantly less aggregable to collagen and arachidonic acid in in both black groups as compared to whites (p less than 0.01), but there were no significant differences in ADP or epinephrine aggregation between these groups. Factor VIII coagulant activity was much higher in rural and urban blacks than whites (p less than 0.001), and the partial thromboplastin times were shorter (p less than 0.005). Platelet arachidonic acid showed a marked difference between the groups, being 16.4 +/- 5.4% of total platelet fatty acids in the rural blacks, 19.9 +/- 4.2% in the urban blacks and 22.6 +/- 3.3% in the whites (p less than 0.001). Whites had higher LDL and lower HDL cholesterol than blacks (p less than 0.005). These findings suggest that in addition to the well known association of raised LDL cholesterol and acute myocardial infarction, platelet aggregation patterns and platelet arachidonic acid levels may be associated risk factors in coronary thrombosis.
authors.affiliation: School of Pathology, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa.
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Chetty
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Reavis
authors.forename: H D
authors.initials: HD
authors.lastname: Solomons
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Pienaar
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Baynes
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Meriwether
authors.forename: P M
authors.initials: PM
authors.lastname: Atkinson
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D044383:Black People; D001779:Blood Coagulation Factors / Q000097:blood*; D005227:Fatty Acids / Q000032:analysis*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008055:Lipids / Q000097:blood*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010974:Platelet Aggregation; D013019:South Africa; D044465:White People
chemical_list: D001779:Blood Coagulation Factors; D005227:Fatty Acids; D008055:Lipids