Fibrinogen and factor VII as risk factors for ischemic heart disease

High plasmatic levels of factor VII and fibrinogen are useful predictors of the risk of ischemic heart disease, but have not yet been included in the laboratory profile for the assessment of this risk. This is because it is not known which method is more informative and practical, and also because of the poor standardization of the assays currently made. Over recent years, the Hemostasis Subcommittee of the 'Comitato Italiano per la Standardizzazione dei Metodi in Ematologia e Laboratorio' (CISMeL) carried out and published collaborative studies aiming to assess the performance characteristics of fibrinogen and factor VII assays. The aim of this paper is to give an account of these activities, to review the problems and to suggest possible solutions.