Higher Fibrinogen Level is Independently Linked with the Presence and Severity of New-Onset Coronary Atherosclerosis among Han Chinese Population

BACKGROUND Fibrinogen is a coagulation/inflammatory biomarker strongly associated with atherogenesis. However, no data is currently available regarding the association of fibrinogen level with the presence and severity of new-onset coronary atherosclerosis assessed by Gensini score (GS), particularly in Han Chinese with a large sample size. METHODS AND RESULTS We studied 2288 consecutive, new-onset subjects undergoing coronary angiography with angina-like chest pain. Clinical and laboratory data were collected. Coronary stenotic lesions were considered to be the incidence of coronary atherosclerosis. The severity of coronary stenosis was determined by the GS system. Data indicated that patients with high GS had significantly elevated fibrinogen level (p<0.001). The prevalence and severity of coronary atherosclerosis were dramatically increased according to fibrinogen tertiles. Spearman correlation analysis revealed a positive association between fibrinogen level and GS (r = 0.138, p<0.001). Multivariate logistic regression analysis demonstrated that plasma fibrinogen level was independently associated with high GS (OR = 1.275, 95% CI 1.082-1.502, p = 0.004) after adjusting for potential confounders. Moreover, fibrinogen level was also independently related to the presence of coronary atherosclerosis (fibrinogen tertile 2: OR = 1.192, 95% CI 0.889-1.598, p = 0.241; tertile 3: OR = 2.003, 95% CI 1.383-2.903, p <0.001) and high GS (fibrinogen tertile 2: OR = 1.079, 95% CI 0.833-1.397, p = 0.565; tertile 3: OR = 1.524, 95% CI 1.155-2.011, p = 0.003) in a dose-dependent manner. Receiver-operating characteristic curve analysis showed that the best fibrinogen cut-off value for predicting the severity of coronary stenosis was 3.21 g/L. CONCLUSIONS Higher fibrinogen level is independently linked with the presence and severity of new-onset coronary atherosclerosis in Han Chinese population.