title: Elevated levels of Factor XI are associated with cardiovascular disease in women.
abstract: Coronary artery disease (CAD) continues to be the most frequent cause of death among women in the United States. Although elevated levels of clotting factors have been associated with CAD, few of these studies have been performed in women. Elevated levels of Factor XI have previously been associated with venous thrombosis, but little is known about its effect on arterial thrombosis. We selected women referred for cardiac catheterization who were found to have either normal coronaries or evidence of severe CAD and compared levels of homocysteine, anticardiolipin IgG/IgM antibodies, fibrinogen, platelet count, Factor VII, Factor VIII and Factor XI. Women with severe CAD had significantly higher levels of Factor XI than those without CAD (128% vs. 82%, p<0.04). Statistical adjustment for age, diabetes, hypertension, total cholesterol (TC), current smoking, or BMI had no effect on the independent association between CAD status and Factor XI. Factor XI was higher in women with total cholesterol levels >6.18 mmol/l (>239 mg/dl) compared with normocholesteremic women and was also higher in the upper tertile of age, but even when adjusted for these, the association remained significant. This initial study suggests that Factor XI may be an important parameter in arterial as well as venous thrombosis.
authors.affiliation: Division of Hematology, Cardiology, Epidemiology and Endocrinology, Ullman 903, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, 1300 Morris Park Avenue, Bronx, NY 10461, USA.
authors.forename: Jennifer I
authors.initials: JI
authors.lastname: Berliner
authors.forename: Anne C
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Rybicki
authors.forename: Robert C
authors.initials: RC
authors.lastname: Kaplan
authors.forename: E Scott
authors.initials: ES
authors.lastname: Monrad
authors.forename: Ruth
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Freeman
authors.forename: Henny H
authors.initials: HH
authors.lastname: Billett
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002784:Cholesterol / Q000097:blood; D003324:Coronary Artery Disease / Q000097:blood* / Q000209:etiology; D005172:Factor XI / Q000032:analysis*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012307:Risk Factors; D013927:Thrombosis / Q000097:blood / Q000209:etiology
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D005172:Factor XI; D002784:Cholesterol