ABSTRACT
Thirty-seven patients [30 males and 7 females, aged 45-65 years] with coronary heart disease as well as 20 age- and sex-matched apparently healthy individuals as a reference group were participated in this study. Every patient was subjected to clinical evaluation including history taking and clinical examination with special stress on the presence of risk factors [e.g. smoking and hypertension], coronary angiography, and determination of fasting and post-prandial serum glucose, total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein-c, high-density lipoprotein-c, triglycerides and determination of plasma fibrinogen levels. The aim of the present work was to assess the level and to evaluate the role of fibrinogen as a risk factor for coronary heart disease. Patients with coronary heart disease showed a statistically significant increase in plasma fibrinogen level [P < 0.001] when compared with the reference group. Coronary heart disease patients also showed statistically significant increase in fasting [P < 0.01], post-prandial serum glucose levels [P < 0.001], Low-density lipoprotein-c, triglycerides level [P < 0.001] and a statistically significant decrease in the serum levels of high-density lipoprotein-c [P < 0.001] when compared with the reference group. From these results, we concluded that the increased level of plasma fibrinogen is considered as a risk factor for the development of ischemic heart disease