Hypercoagulability and ischaemic heart disease

Thrombogenesis is increasingly recognised as an immediate cause of most major clinical episodes of ischaemic heart disease (IHD) and the haemostatic system makes a significant contribution to the development of atheroma. It is therefore important to consider how far concepts of increased thrombotic tendency and hypercoagulability can be demonstrated in reality. A number of general observations do suggest that characteristics of the circulating blood influence the course of events in IHD--for example, the occurrence of IHD or stroke in young women using oral contraceptives in whom advanced arterial wall changes are not a feature. Epidemiologically, the coagulation system has been more rewarding than the study of platelets. The Northwick Park Heart Study (NPHS) has demonstrated a strong relationship between the level of factor VII activity and the later incidence of IHD. Several biochemical characteristics of factor VII suggest that this relationship may well be one of cause and effect. There is growing evidence that high levels of factor VII activity lead to high levels of thrombin production. In addition to NPHS, three other prospective studies have shown an association between high levels of plasma fibrinogen and IHD incidence. Again, there are several reasons for believing that this association, too, is of pathogenetic significance. Dietary fat intake is a major determinant of the factor VII activity level, and smoking of the fibrinogen level. Hypercoagulability determining IHD is best defined, on present evidence, as over-activity of procoagulatory influences (whereas hypercoagulability leading to venous thrombosis is predominantly manifested as underactivity of natural defence mechanisms).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)