Effects of Aging on the Coagulation Fibrinolytic System in Outpatients of the Cardiovascular Department

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Although clinical trials demonstrate that the elderly with atrial fibrillation have risks of thrombosis and bleeding, the relationship between aging and coagulation fibrinolytic system in "real-world" cardiology outpatients is uncertain. METHODS AND RESULTS: We retrospectively evaluated 773 patients (mean age: 58 years; 52% men; Asian ethnicity). To thoroughly investigate markers of coagulation and fibrinolysis, we simultaneously measured levels of D-dimer, prothrombin-fragment1+2 (F1+2), plasmin-α2 plasmin inhibitor complex (PIC), and thrombomodulin (TM). There were correlations between aging and levels of F1+2, D-dimer, PIC, and TM (R=0.61, 0.57, 0.49, and 0.30, respectively). We compared 3 age groups, which were defined as the Y group (<64 years), M group (65-74 years), and the O group (>75 years). Levels of markers were higher in older individuals (D-dimer: 1.0±0.8 vs. 0.8±0.8 vs. 0.6±0.4 μg/ml, F1+2: 281.8±151.3 vs. 224.6±107.1 vs. 155.5±90.0 pmol/L, PIC: 0.9±0.3 vs. 0.8±0.3 vs. 0.6±0.5 μg/ml, and TM: 2.9±0.8 vs. 2.7±0.7 vs. 2.5±0.7FU/ml). We performed logistic regression analysis to determine F1+2 and PIC levels. Multivariate analysis revealed that aging was the most important determinant of high F1+2 and PIC levels. CONCLUSIONS: Hypercoagulable states develop with advancing age in "real-world" cardiology outpatients. (Circ J 2016; 80: 2133-2140).