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Fibrinogen and cardiovascular risk
1Department of Complementary Medicine, Postgraduate Medical School, University of Exeter, UK.
Insights
Elevated fibrinogen is a significant cardiovascular risk factor, impacting blood clotting, flow, and vessel health. Further research is needed to fully understand its complex role in cardiovascular disease development and outcomes.
Area of Science:
- Biochemistry
- Cardiovascular Medicine
- Epidemiology
Background:
- Fibrinogen's link to cardiovascular disease is increasingly recognized.
- Existing research suggests fibrinogen is a key player in cardiovascular risk.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review and synthesize evidence supporting fibrinogen as a cardiovascular risk factor.
- To explore the potential mechanisms underlying fibrinogen's role in atherothrombosis.
Main Methods:
- Review of prospective epidemiological studies.
- Analysis of cross-sectional studies.
- Examination of clinical cohort data.
Main Results:
- Elevated fibrinogen levels are consistently identified as a major, independent cardiovascular risk factor.
- Fibrinogen is associated with conventional cardiovascular risk factors and disease sequelae.
- Fibrinogen influences blood coagulation, rheology, platelet aggregation, and vascular wall interactions.
Conclusions:
- Fibrinogen is a significant independent risk factor for cardiovascular disease.
- While its precise mechanisms are still being elucidated, fibrinogen's impact on multiple cardiovascular processes is clear.
- Further research is warranted to fully understand fibrinogen's determinants and atherothrombotic actions.
Abstract:
The hypothesis that fibrinogen is closely related to cardiovascular risk has been strengthened through the results of various lines of research, which this review will aim to unravel. Several prospective epidemiological studies convincingly show elevated fibrinogen to represent a major, independent cardiovascular risk factor. Cross-sectional studies strongly associate fibrinogen and conventional cardiovascular risk factors. Clinical cohort studies demonstrate that increased fibrinogen is also a risk factor for the sequelae of cardiovascular disease. Our knowledge about the determinants of the variable plasma level of fibrinogen in health and disease is incomplete. Understanding of the mechanisms that might be involved in the atherothrombogenic action of fibrinogen is also fragmentary. Fibrinogen strongly affects blood coagulation, blood rheology and platelet aggregation. In addition, it has direct effects on the vascular wall and is a prominent acute phase reactant. All of these phenomena might constitute pathophysiological mechanisms involved in the association between fibrinogen and cardiovascular events. Their relative importance is unclear at present. Even though many crucial questions await conclusive answers, little doubt exists that fibrinogen represents a major, independent risk factor.