Hypercoagulability and coronary artery disease.

Variables of haemostatis were studied in 21 men, aged less than 50 years, with confirmed coronary artery disease but without severe hyperlipidaemia and in 21 healthy controls. Fibrinogen concentrations were significantly raised in the patients, 10 (48%) of whom also showed defective fibrinolysis in response to a standard stress test. These findings suggest that hypercoagulability may be important in the aetiology of some cases of early onset coronary artery disease.