ABSTRACT

Cardiovascular diseases are the major cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. There are some evidences showing a possible role for hemotostatic system in the pathogenesis of atherosclerotic vascular diseases. In our study, we aimed to show the relationship between coronary artery diseases and factor VIII (F VIII).

60 patients were included in the study. Blood samples for F VIII were taken before and after the standard Bruce treadmill stress test. Patients with positive stress test underwent coronary angiography.

The F VIII levels after the treadmill test were statistically significantly high (p:0.0001) compared to that before the test. A significant difference was determined in favor of female patients both before (p=0.002) and after (p=0.009) the treadmill exercise test when F VIII levels were assessed by gender.

Since the discovery of the important role of thrombosis in the pathogenesis of atherosclerotic diseases, investigators are working on whether the haemostatic status is the primary risk factor in coronary artery disease (CAD).Our study results, similar to the literature, showed that F VIII levels in women can be helpful in the diagnosis and follow-up of CAD. But as shown in other studies, F VIII levels may increase in an inflammatory state. Therefore, further studies are needed to determine whether CAD is caused by high levels of F VIII or risk factors for CAD cause endothelial damage and, thus, high levels of F VIII are the result of an inflammatory process.