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Published on: April 1, 2015

Fibrinogen: associations with cardiovascular events in an outpatient clinic

Monica Acevedo1, JoAnne Micale Foody, Gregory L Pearce

  • 1Department of Cardiology, Section of Preventive Cardiology and Cardiac Rehabilitation, The Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Cleveland, Ohio 44195, USA.

American Heart Journal
|February 9, 2002
PubMed

Insights

Elevated fibrinogen levels are linked to myocardial infarction (MI) and predict short-term mortality in patients. This study highlights fibrinogen

Area of Science:

  • Cardiology
  • Biochemistry
  • Clinical Medicine

Background:

  • Fibrinogen influences coagulation and is an independent risk factor for coronary artery disease (CAD).
  • The association of fibrinogen with myocardial infarction (MI) and its predictive value for short-term mortality in clinical practice remained uncharacterized.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To determine if baseline fibrinogen levels are associated with MI, not just CAD.
  • To assess if baseline fibrinogen levels predict short-term mortality in a high-risk outpatient setting.

Main Methods:

  • Logistic regression models were used to analyze data from 2126 patients with baseline fibrinogen measurements.
  • The study evaluated the association of fibrinogen with CAD and MI, adjusting for the Framingham risk score.
  • Mortality prediction was assessed over a mean follow-up of 24 months.

Main Results:

  • Fibrinogen levels significantly correlated with the presence of CAD and a history of MI (adjusted OR = 1.25, P =.001).
  • Fibrinogen showed a significant association with CAD only when MI was included in the analysis.
  • Higher fibrinogen quartiles demonstrated a graded, independent relationship with mortality (hazard ratio = 1.81, P <.001).

Conclusions:

  • Fibrinogen is directly associated with MI in an outpatient clinical setting.
  • Baseline fibrinogen levels serve as an independent predictor of short-term mortality.
Abstract

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