title: Plasma tissue factor pathway inhibitor levels in angiographically defined coronary artery disease among saudis.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This study was aimed to determine plasma levels of total (TFPI-T) and free (TFPI-F) tissue factor pathway inhibitor, plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1), and tissue plasminogen activator (t-PA) in a cohort of Saudi patients with chronic stable angiographically defined coronary artery disease (CAD) and to determine its correlation with its severity.
  
  
  METHODS
  This cross sectional study was conducted in the department of physiology and department of cardiology, College of Medicine, and King Khalid University Hospital and King Saud University, Riyadh. Sixty known cases of CAD who had undergone angiography (35 males and 25 females) were selected. A control group included 39 (20 males and 19 females) healthy subjects. Fasting venous blood samples were analyzed for total (TFPI-T) and free (TFPI-F) tissue factor pathway inhibitor, plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1), and tissue plasminogen activator (t-PA). Gensini scores and vessel scores were determined for assessing CAD severity.
  
  
  RESULTS
  There were non-significant differences between age, body mass index (BMI) and Blood pressure between the controls and CAD subjects. A comparison of hemostatic markers between control and CAD patients showed significantly higher levels of Fibrinogen, PAI-1, TFPI-T and TFPI-F in CAD patients compared to control subjects. But there was no difference in plasma t-PA levels. TFPI-T had a significant positive correlation with severity of disease determined by Gensini Scores (r=0.344; p=0.006) and vessel scores (r=0.338; p=0.015).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Plasma levels of total tissue factor pathway inhibitor are significantly related with the presence and severity of CAD. Elevated levels of TFPI-T may be considered as useful diagnostic and prognostic markers in patients with CAD.
authors.affiliation: Associate Professor, Department of Physiology (29), College of Medicine, PO Box 2925, King Saud University, Riyadh 11461, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
authors.forename: Syed Shahid
authors.initials: SS
authors.lastname: Habib
keywords: Angiography total tissue factor pathway inhibitor; Coronary artery disease; Free tissue factor pathway inhibitor; Gensini score; Hemostasis; Plasminogen activator inhibitor-1; Tissue plasminogen activator