Thrombin generation in cardiovascular disease and mortality - results from the Gutenberg Health Study

Haematologica. 2020 Sep 1;105(9):2327-2334. doi: 10.3324/haematol.2019.221655.

Abstract

Thrombin generation may be a potential tool to improve risk stratification for cardiovascular diseases. This study aims to explore the relation between thrombin generation and cardiovascular risk factors, cardiovascular diseases, and total mortality. For this study, N=5000 subjects from the population-based Gutenberg Health Study were analysed in a highly standardized setting. Thrombin generation was assessed by the Calibrated Automated Thrombogram method at 1 and 5 pM tissue factors trigger in platelet poor plasma. Lag time, endogenous thrombin potential, and peak height were derived from the thrombin generation curve. Sex-specific multivariable linear regression analysis adjusted for age, cardiovascular risk factors, cardiovascular diseases and therapy, was used to assess clinical determinants of thrombin generation. Cox regression models adjusted for age, sex, cardiovascular risk factors and vitamin K antagonists investigated the association between thrombin generation parameters and total mortality. Lag time was positively associated with obesity and dyslipidaemia for both sexes (p<0.0001). Obesity was also positively associated with endogenous thrombin potential in both sexes (p<0.0001) and peak height in males (1 pM tissue factor, p=0.0048) and females (p<0.0001). Cox regression models showed an increased mortality in individuals with lag time (1 pM tissue factor, hazard ratio=1.46, [95% CI: 1.07; 2.00], p=0.018) and endogenous thrombin potential (5 pM tissue factor, hazard ratio = 1.50, [1.06; 2.13], p=0.023) above the 95th percentile of the reference group, independent of the cardiovascular risk profile. This large-scale study demonstrates traditional cardiovascular risk factors, particularly obesity, as relevant determinants of thrombin generation. Lag time and endogenous thrombin potential were found as potentially relevant predictors of increased total mortality, which deserves further investigation.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Blood Coagulation Tests
  • Cardiovascular Diseases* / epidemiology
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Plasma
  • Thrombin*
  • Thromboplastin

Substances

  • Thromboplastin
  • Thrombin

Grants and funding

Funding: The Gutenberg Health Study is funded through the government of Rhineland-Palatinate (“Stiftung RheinlandPfalz für Innovation“, contract AZ 961–386261/733), the research programs “Wissen schafft Zukunft” and “Center for Translational Vascular Biology (CTVB)” of the Johannes Gutenberg- University of Mainz, and its contract with Boehringer Ingelheim and PHILIPS Medical Systems, including unrestricted grants for the Gutenberg Health Study. This work was supported by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF 01EO1003) and the Center for Translational Vascular Biology (CTVB) of the University Medical Center Mainz (to PSW). HtC is a Fellow of the Gutenberg Research Foundation.