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Fibrinogen predicts mortality in high risk patients with peripheral artery disease

L Doweik1, T Maca, M Schillinger

  • 1Department of Angiology, Medical School, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.

European Journal of Vascular and Endovascular Surgery : the Official Journal of the European Society for Vascular Surgery
|September 27, 2003
PubMed

Insights

Elevated fibrinogen levels in patients with peripheral artery disease (PAD) significantly increase the risk of death, especially from cardiovascular causes. Monitoring fibrinogen can help predict outcomes in high-risk PAD patients.

Area of Science:

  • Cardiovascular Medicine
  • Hematology
  • Atherosclerosis Research

Background:

  • Fibrinogen is implicated in atherosclerosis and atherothrombotic disease complications.
  • Peripheral artery disease (PAD) patients face significant mortality risks.
  • Prognostic markers for PAD outcomes are crucial for clinical management.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the prognostic impact of fibrinogen levels on mortality in high-risk patients with PAD.
  • To determine if fibrinogen levels predict all-cause and cardiovascular mortality in PAD.
  • To identify fibrinogen as a potential biomarker for PAD prognosis.

Main Methods:

  • Study included 486 patients with PAD and cardiovascular comorbidities.
  • Fibrinogen levels and atherosclerotic risk factors were measured at baseline.
  • Patients were followed for a median of 7 years for mortality outcomes.
  • Multivariate Cox regression analyzed fibrinogen quartiles' predictive value.

Main Results:

  • Higher fibrinogen levels (10.2-12.2 and >12.2 micromol/l) were associated with significantly increased adjusted risk for all-cause mortality (HR 1.87 and 1.90).
  • A similar effect was observed for cardiovascular mortality.
  • Diabetes mellitus and critical limb ischemia were also independent predictors of mortality.

Conclusions:

  • Elevated fibrinogen levels in high-risk PAD patients indicate a poorer prognosis.
  • Fibrinogen is a significant predictor of fatal cardiovascular complications in PAD.
  • Fibrinogen measurement may aid in risk stratification for PAD patients.
Abstract

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