Assessment of selected haemostatic parameters in obese patients

BACKGROUND: Epidemiologic data show significantly higher frequency of thromboembolic incidents in obesity than in normal weight persons. Disorders of haemostasis seem to play a crucial role in their development. In the literature there are only few papers assessing coagulation and fibrynolitic parameters in obese subjects. AIM OF THE STUDY: Assessment of protein C (PC), antithrombin (AT) and alpha2 antiplasmin (alpha2AP) activity and thrombomodulin (TM) concentration in the blood plasma of obese person (BMI > 30 kg/m(2)). MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study involved 32 patients (22 women and 10 men, mean age 39.7 +/- 15.3 years) and 20 healthy volunteers matched correctly according to sex and age who constituted a control group. In the examined subjects activity of PC, AT, alpha2 AP were assessed by means of the colorimetric methods and TM concentration in the blood plasma using ELISA method. RESULTS: No statistically significant differences in activities of PC, AT, alpha2 AP and TM concentrations between the patients and the control group were found. However the tendency to higher activities of PC and concentrations of TM were noticed in the obese patients. Assessing tested parameters according to sex, statistically significant differences were found in AT activity between the male patients and healthy men. Statistically lower values, but still in the normal range, were found in the obese men. Comparing the groups of women, significantly lower concentrations of TM were found in the obese ones. CONCLUSIONS: It seems that changed values of PC, AT, alpha2 AP activities are not responsible for increased risk of thromboembolic events in obese persons. Increased TM concentration in obese, may indirectly indicate endothelium damage.