OBESITY AND ELEVATED LEVELS OF VON WILLEBRAND FACTOR IN PATIENTS WITH HYPERTENSION AND EARLY CORONARY ATHEROSCLEROSIS. (April 2021) - Urazgildeeva, Soreiia
Abstract : Objective: Obesity is one of the additional risk factors for early development of atherosclerosis and cardiovascular complications in patients with hypertension. Von Willebrand factor (vWF) is a plasma glycoprotein which plays an important role in the thrombogenesis. On the other hand it is considered as a marker of the endothelial dysfunction. The objective of our study was to assess the level of vWF in patients with hypertension and early manifestations of coronary atherosclerosis depending on the presence of obesity. Design and method: 79 middle-age (49, 88 ± 7, 77) patients with hypertension and established coronary atherosclerosis (71 men and 8 women) were involved into study. According to the calculating body mass index (BMI), all subjects were divided into 2 groups: 22 obese people (BMI above 30 kg/m2) and 57 non-obese patients. In all patients we analyzed family history, smoking status, history of diabetes. The plasma lipid profile and vWF level were estimated using EIA kit (Uscn Life Science Inc., Cloud-Clone Corp., USA). Results: Both groups did not differ in the family history of cardiovascular disease, smoking status and diabetes. Though all patients received statins triglycerides levels were significantly higher in obese patients [95%CI: 1.50; 2.57] compared with patients in the other group [95% CI: 1.29; 1.70] (p < 0.05). Almost all but one obese patient had high levels of vWF [95% CI: 53.87; 72.38]. Among patients with a BMI below 30 kg/m2, normal values of vWF were detected in 21 patients [95% CI: 41.38; 52.76]. The groups significantly differed in the level of vWF, both when calculating the odds ratio (OR) using the Pearson chi-square criterion [OR: 5, 6; p = 0.0035] and when comparing samples according to the Student's t-criterion (p < 0.005). Conclusions: Results of the study suggest enhanced endothelial dysfunction as one of the possible links between obesity and increased risk of cardiovascular complications in patients with hypertension.