Summary
At least five studies based on more than twenty thousand healthy subjects indicated that fibrinogen is an independent risk factor for cardiovascular events; less clear-cut is the relation between factor VII and risk for arterial thrombotic disorders, which was demonstrated in two of the three studies investigating this association. However, no study has investigated the behaviour of fibrinogen and factor VII in an adolescent population. In a study of Preventive Medicine and Education Program, fibrinogen (clotting method) and factor Vllag (ELISA), in addition to other metabolic parameters, life-style and familial history, were investigated in 451 students (313 females and 138 males, age 15-17 years) from two high schools of Florence. Fibrinogen levels were significantly higher in women than in men, whereas factor Vllag levels did not significantly differ. Both fibrinogen and factor Vllag significantly correlated with total cholesterol (p <0.05) while only fibrinogen correlated with body mass index (p <0.01). Factor Vllag was significantly correlated with systolic blood pressure (p <0.001). This study provides information on coagulation risk factors in a population of adolescents which may be of importance in planning coronary heart disease prevention programs.
