Association between inflammation and hemostatic markers in atherothrombotic stroke

Introduction: It has been reported that the influence of fibrinogen on the incidence of ischemic events is related to inflammation processes and reflects an association with advance atherosclerosis. The aim of this study was to evaluate the association of thrombogenic and inflammatory profiles in patients who have suffered a stroke. Materials and methods: The study involved 17 patients with atherothrombotic stroke and 34 healthy subjects as control group. The patients were examined 48 h, 3 and 6 months after the stroke occurred. To determine the inflammatory and thrombogenic profiles, plasma levels of fibrinogen, total sialic acid (TSA), C-reactive protein (CRP), tissue factor (TF) and fibrin D-dimer (D-dimer) were measured. Results: The study showed that at 48 h and 3 months the levels of fibrinogen, TF, D-dimer, TSA and CRP were significantly higher than control group. TF, D-dimer and TSA remains significantly elevated throughout the entire study period. TF and D-dimer decreased over time without reaching the normal values. The multiple regression analysis showed that, at 48 h, 68% of the variance of fibrinogen and 22% of the variance of TF could be explained by the influence of CRP. At 3 and 6 months, 78% of the variance of fibrinogen could be explained by the influence of TSA. Conclusions: The results suggest a relation among inflammation markers, fibrinogen and TF in the acute phase of stroke. As TF and D-dimer are still elevated at 6 months, an increased thrombogenicity for a longer period following the acute event is present. (C) 2004 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.