Fibrinogen, D-dimer and thrombin-antithrombin complexes in a random population sample: relationships with other cardiovascular risk factors

Abstract

Fibrinogen is an independent risk factor for cardiovascular disease and both D-Dimer and Thrombin-Antithrombin complexes may be suitable as laboratory markers of deep venous thrombosis and are becoming more widespread in clinical practice. The aim of our study was to evaluate their normal range and to examine their correlation with various cardiovascular risk factors. Fibrinogen, D-Dimer and Thrombin-Antithrombin complexes were assessed in 516 normal subjects randomly selected from the National Health Service register of Trieste (Italy). In our community the mean value of fibrinogen was 283 +/- 71 mg/dl. Fibrinogen increases with age in males and was significantly higher in male smokers. In non-smokers, females had significantly higher fibrinogen values than males. The mean value of D-Dimer was 306 +/- 130 ng/ml. In females it is significantly higher. The fibrinogen and D-Dimer correlation coefficient was 0.20 (p < 0.001). The mean level of Thrombin-Antithrombin complexes was 6.25 +/- 6.8 ng/ml with a distribution markedly skewed towards the left; males had lower concentration than females (p = 0.047). Multiple regression analysis for fibrinogen as a dependent variable showed that D-Dimer, LDL-cholesterol, Body-Mass Index and Thrombin-Antithrombin complexes were poor predictors for fibrinogen plasma levels (R2 = 0.23) and that fibrinogen, ApoA1 and age can explain only about 10% of the observed variability in D-Dimer.