Abstract
AIM: To examine whether plasma levels of coagulation factors II, V, IX, X, XI, and XII, plasminogen, and alpha-2 antiplasmin are associated with coronary heart disease (CHD) in a prospective case-cohort study. METHODS: This case-cohort sample consisted of 368 African-Americans or whites with incident CHD that occurred between 1990-92 and 1998, from the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) study, and a cohort random sample of n=412. Hemostatic factors were measured in the case-cohort sample using plasma stored at -70 degrees C since 1990-92. RESULTS: After adjustments for age, sex and race, coagulation factors IX and XI, and alpha-2 antiplasmin were associated positively with risk of CHD: The hazard ratio [95% confidence interval] for the highest vs lowest quartiles was 1.52 [1.01-2.27] for factor IX; 2.26 [1.47-3.48] for factor XI; and 1.64 [1.05-2.57] for alpha-2 antiplasmin. However, as these hemostatic factors were correlated with classical risk factors, their association with CHD was attenuated and no longer statistically significant after multivariable adjustments. No association was observed between CHD and factor II, V, X, or XII, or plasminogen. CONCLUSIONS: Positive associations of factors IX and XI, and alpha-2 antiplasmin with incident CHD were not strong and accounted for by classical coronary risk factors.