Fibrinolysis and cardiovascular risk factors: association with fibrinogen, lipids, and monocyte count.
BACKGROUND
Numerous risk factors for cardiovascular disease (CVD) have been determined by clinical epidemiological observations. The missing link could be related to endothelial dysfunction and the resulting hypofibrinolysis.


METHODS
In this cross-sectional study, we evaluated 160 subjects (134 in primary prevention) characterized by their clinical cardiovascular risk factors (CVRF), i.e., age, gender, diabetes, hypertension, smoking habit, and history of coronary event or stroke, and by their blood parameters, i.e., C-reactive protein (CRP), fibrinogen, leukocyte count (WBC), monocyte count (MC), total cholesterol, HDL cholesterol (HDL-c), LDL cholesterol (LDL-c), and triglycerides. We assessed their fibrinolytic capacity with a new method, Euglobulin Clot Lysis Time (ECLT). The effects of these clinical and biological parameters were evaluated in multivariate analysis (backward stepwise regression).


RESULTS
ECLT was correlated with the Framingham risk score and was significantly influenced by the number of clinical CVRF. MC was confirmed to be an important predictive factor influencing ECLT. In subjects without clinical CVRF (n=46), 67% of the variability of ECLT was explained by a combination of MC, LDL-c, and fibrinogen.


CONCLUSIONS
ECLT is related to the number of epidemiologically defined clinical CVRF and to MC. Because it integrates many risk factors, we suggest that fibrinolytic function could be a biological test useful for physicians in the cardiovascular risk assessment of their patients.
Experimental Medicine Laboratory, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Unit 222, ISPPC, CHU Charleroi, Hopital André Vésale, 706, Montigny-Le-Tilleul, Belgium. karim.zouaoui@chu-charleroi.be
Karim
K
Zouaoui Boudjeltia
Michel
M
Guillaume
Charles
C
Henuzet
Paul
P
Delrée
Philippe
P
Cauchie
Claude
C
Remacle
Jean
J
Ducobu
Michel
M
Vanhaeverbeek
Dany
D
Brohée