Plasma fibrinogen levels and cardiovascular risk factors in Japanese schoolchildren.
BACKGROUND
Plasma fibrinogen level has been recognized as an independent risk factor for atherosclerosis and its thrombotic complications in adults. The present study aimed to clarify the association between plasma fibrinogen levels and cardiovascular risk factors in Japanese children.


METHODS
A total of 294 schoolchildren (145 boys and 149 girls) aged 10-13 years in a town in Nagano Prefecture, Japan, were surveyed in 2000 for body mass index (BMI), plasma fibrinogen, serum C-reactive protein (CRP), serum total cholesterol, serum high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, hemoglobin (Hb) A1c, and ratio of serum total cholesterol to serum HDL cholesterol (TCHR).


RESULTS
The mean value and standard deviation of plasma fibrinogen level among the schoolchildren was 226.0+/-39.7 mg/dL for boys and 245.3+/-40.9 mg/dL for girls; significantly higher for girls. Among plasma fibrinogen tertiles, serum CRP tended to increase with plasma fibrinogen in both boys and girls. An increasing trend was also found in serum total cholesterol in boys, and in TCHR, HbA1c and BMI in girls. Multiple linear regression analysis revealed significant associations of plasma fibrinogen with serum CRP and HbA1c in both sexes, with TCHR in boys, and with BMI in girls.


CONCLUSIONS
Plasma fibrinogen levels were associated with cardiovascular risk factors such as serum CRP, TCHR, HbA1c, and BMI in Japanese schoolchildren.
Department of Public Health/Health Information Dynamics, Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine, Japan. fujii@met.nagoya-u.ac.jp
Chie
C
Fujii
Hisataka
H
Sakakibara
Takaaki
T
Kondo
Hiroshi
H
Yatsuya
Koji
K
Tamakoshi
Hideaki
H
Toyoshima
D000293:Adolescent; D015992:Body Mass Index; D002097:C-Reactive Protein / Q000032:analysis; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology; D002648:Child; D002784:Cholesterol / Q000097:blood; D005260:Female; D005340:Fibrinogen / Q000032:analysis*; D006442:Glycated Hemoglobin / Q000032:analysis; D006801:Humans; D007564:Japan / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D012307:Risk Factors
D002097:C-Reactive Protein; D002784:Cholesterol; D005340:Fibrinogen; D006442:Glycated Hemoglobin