title: Increased level of plasma factor VIII-related antigen in peripheral arterial disease.
abstract: When compared to age-matched control subjects factor VIII-related antigen was found to be significantly increased in patients with peripheral arterial diseases, while there were no significant differences concerning its plasma level between patients with thrombangitis obliterans and those with atherosclerosis of the lower limbs or between the various stages of the disease. Acute phase reactants such as plasma fibrinogen and alpha 1 antitrypsin were changed to a much lesser extent in the initial stages of peripheral arterial disease, and the afore mentioned antiprotease increased significantly only in stage IV. It is considered that the increased plasma level of factor VIII-related antigen occurring already in the initial stages of arterial disease, should be interpreted as an expression of widespread endothelial lesions and not as the mere result of an acute phase reaction. The relevance of changes affecting factor VIII-related antigen for the development of thrombotic complications could be assessed only in the context of other abnormalities of the hemostatic variables.
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000941:Antigens / Q000097:blood*; D001161:Arteriosclerosis / Q000097:blood*; D005169:Factor VIII / Q000097:blood / Q000276:immunology*; D005260:Female; D005340:Fibrinogen / Q000097:blood; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D013919:Thromboangiitis Obliterans / Q000097:blood*; D000515:alpha 1-Antitrypsin / Q000097:blood; D014841:von Willebrand Factor
chemical_list: D000941:Antigens; D000515:alpha 1-Antitrypsin; D014841:von Willebrand Factor; D005169:Factor VIII; D005340:Fibrinogen