Fibrinogen as a risk factor for premature myocardial infarction in Iranian patients: A case control study

BACKGROUND Premature myocardial infarction with life-threatening complications may become epidemic in some Asian and African countries and especially Iran. Fibrinogen is considered as one of the probable risk factors of myocardial infarction. The aim of our study was to assess fibrinogen levels as an etiology of premature myocardial infarction in young Iranian men. FINDINGS A case-control study was conducted between May 2005 and May 2007 to investigate the association between serum total fibrinogen level and myocardial infarction in men aged younger than 55 years admitted to the cardiac care units of Peymanieh and Motahari Hospitals affiliated to Jahrom University of Medical Sciences, Iran. The mean age of patients was 45.2 +/- 4 years in patients with premature myocardial infarction and 47.06 +/- 4.5 years in the control group (p = 0.085). There were no statistically significant relationships between the two groups in history of premature myocardial infarction in their first-degree relatives (p = 0.05), cigarette smoking (p = 0.46), diabetes (p = 0.49), or hypertension (p = 1). The mean plasma fibrinogen in patients (354.9 +/- 60 mg/dL) was elevated markedly compared with the control group (329 +/- 73 mg/dL). Hyperfibrinogenemia (>340 mg/dL) was detected in 81.8% of patients and 57.5% of controls (95% confidence interval, odds ratio = 3.3; p = 0.036). CONCLUSION This study introduced fibrinogen as a risk factor for premature coronary artery disease in Iranian men.