A STUDY OF HEMOSTASIS IN ISCHEMIC CEREBROVASCULAR-DISEASE .4. A 5 YEAR FOLLOW-UP OF SOME BLOOD-COAGULATION PARAMETERS ALSO INCLUDING FIBRINOPEPTIDE-A, FACTOR-XII AND PREKALLIKREIN

Young adults (27) (mean age 46 yr) with ischemic cerebrovascular disease (ICD) were reinvestigated .apprx. 5 yr after discharge and compared to 67 healthy controls. Factor VIII-related antigen was increased in male as well as female patients (P < 0.005 and P < 0.001) and a significant (r = 0.66, P < 0.001) correlation was found with earlier data. Factor VIII biological activity was increased significantly (P < 0.001), in males. Antithrombin antigen and activity were significantly (P < 0.001) decreased in males. This finding and decreased levels of factor XII in female patients (P < 0.001) and of prekallikrein in male patients (P < 0.01) apparently reflected disturbed regulatory functions or possibly constitutional differences. As in most subjects, no increase of fibrinopeptide A was found, there was no sign of continuous activation of the whole coagulation sequence. Since hemostatic abnormalities were unrelated to acute phase reacting proteins, they were obviously of a different nature than unspecific response to tissue damage and acute stress. High levels of factor VIII and low levels of antithrombin imply that the coagulation system could be more easily activated when other factors coincide, e.g., intimal lesions in carotid arteries.