A common finding in patients with myocardial infarction is an impaired function in the fibrinolytic system, mainly due to increased mass concentration of tPA and PAI-1 in plasma [ [1] Dawson S. Henney A. The status of PAI-1 as a risk factor for arterial and thrombotic disease: a review. Atherosclerosis. 1992; 95: 105-117 Abstract Full Text PDF PubMed Scopus (187) Google Scholar ] which are considered as primary risk factors of cardiovascular disease [ [2] Thögersen A.M. Jansson J.H. Boman K. Nilsson T.K. Weinehall L. Huhtasaari F. Hallmans G. High plasminogen activator inhibitor and tissue plasminogen activator levels in plasma precede a first acute myocardial infarction in both men and women: evidence for the fibrinolytic system as an independent primary risk factor. Circulation. 1998; 98: 2241-2247 Crossref PubMed Scopus (578) Google Scholar ]. Hemostasis has been proposed as a possible pathogenetic factor in dementia, especially vascular dementia [ 3 Mari D. Parnetti L. Coppola R. Bottasso B. Reboldi G.P. Senin U. Mannucci P.M. Hemostasis abnormalities in patients with vascular dementia and Alzheimer's disease. Thromb Haemost. 1996; 75: 216-218 PubMed Google Scholar , 4 Bots M.L. Breteler M.M. van Kooten F. Haverkate F. Meijer P. Koudstaal P.J. Grobbee D.E. Kluft C. Coagulation and fibrinolysis markers and risk of dementia. The Dutch Vascular Factors in Dementia Study. Haemostasis. 1998; 28: 216-222 PubMed Google Scholar , 5 Stott D.J. Spilg E. Campbell A.M. Rumley A. Mansoor M.A. Lowe G.D. Haemostasis in ischaemic stroke and vascular dementia. Blood Coagul Fibrinolysis. 2001; 12: 651-657 Crossref PubMed Scopus (40) Google Scholar ]. To our knowledge there is only one study by Mari et al [ [3] Mari D. Parnetti L. Coppola R. Bottasso B. Reboldi G.P. Senin U. Mannucci P.M. Hemostasis abnormalities in patients with vascular dementia and Alzheimer's disease. Thromb Haemost. 1996; 75: 216-218 PubMed Google Scholar ] in which endothelial derived fibrinolytic markers and vWF have been evaluated in AD vs. VaD patients.