Abstract
AimsA chronically elevated level of von Willebrand factor (vWF) is a common finding in patients with cardiovascular diseases. Obesity is a well-recognized risk factor for thrombotic cardiovascular complications including ischemic stroke, and it has been linked with increased plasma vWF. We evaluated whether elevated plasma levels of vWF associate with areas of visceral (VAT), pericardial (PAT), and subcutaneous adipose tissue (SAT) compartments in patients with acute/subacute stroke.Methods and resultsA total of 69 patients with stroke of suspected cardiogenic etiology were examined. The plasma level of vWF antigen (vWF-ag) was measured both in the acute phase and in the chronic phase three months after stroke. The areas of VAT and/or PAT were assessed with computed tomography. As expected, in stroke patients, the levels of plasma vWF-ag were significantly higher than in the national reference population both in the acute and in the chronic phase. The level of vWF-ag in the chronic phase correlated with the amounts of VAT and PAT, but not with subcutaneous adipose tissue.ConclusionsThese results agree with previous observations of the chronic inflammation/prothrombotic tendency in patients with cerebrovascular disease. Future studies should seek to clarify the role of visceral type adipose tissue in the pathophysiology of ischemic stroke.
Highlights
Thrombus formation involves several complex reactions and plays an important role in the pathophysiology of ischemic stroke
These results agree with previous observations of the chronic inflammation/prothrombotic tendency in patients with cerebrovascular disease
Future studies should seek to clarify the role of visceral type adipose tissue in the pathophysiology of ischemic stroke
Summary
Thrombus formation involves several complex reactions and plays an important role in the pathophysiology of ischemic stroke. Von Willebrand factor (vWF) is a multimeric plasma glycoprotein that is a key player in both primary and secondary hemostasis [1]. In addition to its role in normal haemostasis, vWF is a critical factor in pathological arterial thrombosis (characterized by the presence of high shear forces), and it is involved in the formation of intracardiac thrombi and venous thromboembolism [3, 4]. VWF is an acute phase reactant and high plasma levels are seen in several acute illnesses, including acute myocardial infarction (AMI) and ischemic stroke [6,7,8]. A high level of vWF predicts recurrent cardiovascular events, and is associated with an increased risk of first-ever stroke [9, 10]
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