Identification of Potential Predisposition to Clinical Atherosclerosis: A Clinical Concept Based on Integration of Significant Blood Parameters with Platelet Aggregation Scores

Abstract

We sought to develop a predictive method, based on the integration of blood parameters found to be significantly associated with thrombosis and progression of atherosclerosis, that would be more accurate than primary reliance on elevation of separate risk factors. The study involved 1,034 male subjects. Lipid profiles and fibrinogen levels were determined for 123 men with documented clinical atherosclerosis and 123 apparently healthy volunteers. There were significant differences between these groups for fibrinogen, triglycerides, and HDL cholesterol. An algebraic expression was then developed which combined normalized values of fibrinogen, HDL cholesterol, and triglycerides with platelet count and aggregation data to yield a numerical value, the clinical atheroscterosis predisposition (CAP) factor. We then tested this CAP factor with a validation group of 788 men, 372 of whom were patients with documented clinical atherosclerosis; the rest were apparently healthy. A 3-year prospective evaluation was done for 72 of the 123 apparently healthy volunteers. The CAP factor was 90% indicative of patient status for the 372 men with documented complications of atherosclerosis and appeared to predict severe coronary disease in the 3-year prospective evaluation. This initial study suggests that integrated analysis of thrombotic factors in white males. provides a useful estimate of an individual's risk for subsequent development of clinical atherosclerosis. Key Words: Atherosclerosis-Prevention and control-Blood-Platelets-Cholesterol-Triglycerides--Fibrinogen.