Impact of mild hypertriglyceridemia on fibrinolysis, Lp(a) and platelet activation index in mildly hypercolesterolemic patients

The relationship between high triglyceride values and alterations of the fibrinolytic system in cardiovascular heart disease (CHD) patients is well known. The aim of the study was to evaluate the effect of moderate hypertriglyceridemia on fibrinolysis, lipoprotein(a) [(Lp(a)], and platelet activation indexes in asymptomatic patients. To this end, 46 nondiabetic, dyslipidemic patients (age 51 ± 8 years), with no associated pathologies and 23 normolipidemic, homogeneous patients (in terms of age, sex, and smoke habits) were studied. The dyslipidemic patients were split up into two groups: 23 type IIb hyperlipoproteinemia patients (Group 1), and 23 type IIa hyperlipoproteinemia patients (Group 2). The control group had total cholesterol values of <5.18 mmol/L and triglyceride concentrations of <2.25 mmol/L. The result showed a significant difference (p < 0.05) in the baseline plasminogen tissue activator inhibitor (PAI-1 b) values for the Group 1 patients as compared with the Group 2 and the controls, in the baseline tissue plasminogen activator (t-PA b) values for the Group 1 patients as compared with the Group 2 patients and in the lipoprotein (a) (Lp(a)) (p < 0.01) values for the Group 2 as compared with the controls. On the other hand, no statistically significant difference was observed in β-thromboglobulin (β-TG), platelet factor 4 (PF4). This study shows that mild hypertriglyceridemia in asymptomatic hypercholesterolemic patients is associated with a different regulation of the fibrinolytic mechanism. In patients with moderate hypercholesterolemia, higher blood concentrations of Lp(a) were found than in the controls.