title: Fibrinogen levels in hypercholesterolemic smokers and non-smokers in relation to age and gender.
abstract: Elevated total cholesterol and plasma fibrinogen levels and smoking are risk factors for cardiovascular disease, whose inter-relationships are influenced by both gender and age. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of smoking on fibrinogen levels in a hypercholesterolemic population subdivided on the basis of gender and age. The study included 492 hypercholesterolemic subjects, divided into four subpopulations: men and women, aged 26-49 and 50-66 years. Mean fibrinogen levels among smokers and non-smokers in the four subpopulations of this hypercholesterolemic cohort followed mean total cholesterol levels. Three subpopulations (men <50 years, men >/=50 years and women >/=50 years) showed differences in mean total cholesterol and fibrinogen values between smokers and non-smokers (total cholesterol 7.23+/-0.54 vs. 7.40+/-0.93 mmol/l and fibrinogen 2.79+/-0.48 vs. 3.23+/-0.72 g/l in men <50 years; total cholesterol 7.17+/-0.43 vs. 7.50+/-0.60 mmol/l and fibrinogen 3.11+/-0.44 vs. 3.68+/-0.66 g/l in men >/=50 years and 7.41+/-0.59 vs. 7.65+/-0.73 mmol/l and fibrinogen 3.29+/-0.61 vs. 3.58+/-0.71 g/l in women >/=50 years). These values correspond to a percentage difference between smokers and nonsmokers in total cholesterol and fibrinogen of 2.4% and 15.8% in men <50 years, 4.6% and 18.3% in men >/=50 years and 3.2% and 8.8% in women >/=50 years. All differences were significant ( P<0.05), except for total cholesterol in the younger men (<50 years). No differences between smokers and non-smokers were observed in the younger female group (<50 years). Except in the younger female group (<50 years), significant differences between smokers and non-smokers were also observed in the number of subjects exceeding the upper reference value of fibrinogen (>4.0 g/l), the highest percentage being found for the older women smokers (>/=50 years) (29%). In Conclusion, smoking elevates fibrinogen levels in hypercholesterolemic men (<50 years; >/=50 years) and older women (>/=50 years), but not in younger women (<50 years).
authors.affiliation: Department of General Practice and Care and Public Health Research Institute, University of Maastricht, Maastricht, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: G E
authors.initials: GE
authors.lastname: Schuitemaker
authors.forename: G J
authors.initials: GJ
authors.lastname: Dinant
authors.forename: G A
authors.initials: GA
authors.lastname: van der Pol
authors.forename: J W J
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: van Wersch
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000375:Aging / Q000502:physiology*; D002784:Cholesterol / Q000097:blood; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D005340:Fibrinogen / Q000032:analysis* / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D006937:Hypercholesterolemia / Q000097:blood*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012016:Reference Values; D012727:Sex Characteristics; D012907:Smoking / Q000097:blood*
chemical_list: D005340:Fibrinogen; D002784:Cholesterol