Thromb Haemost 1995; 74(03): 828-832
DOI: 10.1055/s-0038-1649831
Original Article
Clinical Studies
Schattauer GmbH Stuttgart

Fibrin D-Dimer, Haemostatic Factors and Peripheral Arterial Disease

Authors

  • Amanda J Lee

    1   The Wolfson Unit for Prevention of Peripheral Vascular Diseases, Department of Public Health Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh
  • F Gerald R Fowkes

    1   The Wolfson Unit for Prevention of Peripheral Vascular Diseases, Department of Public Health Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh
  • Gordon D O Lowe

    2   The Haemostasis, Thrombosis and Vascular Medicine Unit, University Department of Medicine, Glasgow Royal Infirmary, Glasgow, UK
  • Ann Rumley

    2   The Haemostasis, Thrombosis and Vascular Medicine Unit, University Department of Medicine, Glasgow Royal Infirmary, Glasgow, UK
Further Information

Publication History

Received 06 February 1995

Accepted after revision 06 April 1995

Publication Date:
09 July 2018 (online)

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Summary

Several haemostatic factors have been shown to have a predictive role in cardiovascular disease, although their relationship with prevalent peripheral arterial disease is not well reported. Using a random sample of 1592 men and women aged 55-74 years from Edinburgh, Scotland, we examined the relationship of von Willebrand factor (vWF), tissue plasminogen activator (t-PA) and fibrin D-dimer antigens and factor VII activity to peripheral arterial disease. t-PA antigen and fibrin D-dimer showed significant linear trends of increased levels with increasing severity of disease in both sexes (p ≤0.01) and vWF showed a similar pattern in men only (p ≤0.01). On multivariate analysis, fibrin D-dimer was independently related to the risk of intermittent claudication (p ≤0.01) and, among men, to the extent of arterial narrowing in the lower limb, as measured by the ankle brachial pressure index, (ABPI) (p ≤0.001). These results are further evidence of a role for intravascular fibrin deposition in the development of peripheral atherosclerosis.