VENOUS AND ARTERIAL THROMBOEMBOLIC DISEASE IN WOMEN USING ORAL-CONTRACEPTIVES

Vascular plasminogen activator was measured by means of a new chromogenic assay in 24 women who suffered from oral contraceptive-associated thrombotic disease and was compared to that in a control group of 78 premenopausal women. Vascular plasminogen activator levels were significantly reduced in the subjects who had venous thrombosis but not in the 5 women who had arterial thrombosis (0.04 .+-. 0.03 vs. 0.38 .+-. 0.31, respectively), when compared to the levels in the control group (0.19 .+-. 0.20). Since vascular activator levels distribute in a non-Gaussian manner, cases and controls were also stratified into deciles. Seventeen subjects who had suffered from venous thrombosis were stratified in the lowest 3 deciles, and 2 subjects in the 4th and 5th deciles. Subjects who had suffered from arterial thrombosis were in the 4th or higher deciles. Although there is a correlation between low levels of vascular plasminogen activator and venous thrombosis, no such correlation exists for arterial thrombosis.