ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVES: Verification of the following in two different geographical location populations (seashore and mountain) with cardiovascular symptomatology: 1) the prevalence of hyperfibrinogenemia and possible correlation with cholesterolemia; 2) the differences between both populations in the profiles of these parameters. DESIGN: Cross-sectional descriptive study. CONTEXT: Primary Care. PARTICIPANTS: Three hundred and seventy five patients who went to two hospitals between May 1995 and July 1998. In the seashore center 256 patients and in the mountain center 119 patients. MAIN MEASUREMENTS: Clinical history and analytical parameters. Fibrinogen (FBG), indirect prothrombin time, enzymatic cholesterol (CLT) Utachi 717. The patients were sorted out into 4 groups: 1) high FBG > 300 mg/dl and high CLT > 240 mg/dl; 2) high FBG > 300 and low CLT < 240; 3) low FBG < 300 and high CLT > 240, and 4) low FBG < 300 and low CLT < 240. RESULTS: Levels of FBG: homogeneous between groups 1 and 2 (high) and 3 and 4 (low), and different between upper and lower groups. Cholesterol showed the same behavior. Group 1 with a similar number of patients in mountain and seashore (40% and 41%). Group 2 with 42.8% of patients from mountain and 26.9% from seashore. Groups 3 and 4 are presented with lower percentages. We did not find correlation between the levels of FBG and those of CLT. CONCLUSIONS: Predominance of patients with high FBG and normal CLT (group 2) in the mountain cohort, in contrast with a higher prevalence of normal FBG and high CLT (group 3) in the seashore cohort. In participants with normal levels or with high risk the variations of the FBG were not dependent nor related to those of CLT.
