Abstract 16388: Fibrinogen Genetic Variants Promote Atherosclerosis by Altering the Inflammatory Process and Coagulation in Patients With Essential Hypertension and Diabetes Mellitus

Introduction: Hypertension (HTN) and diabetes mellitus (DM) are associated with atherosclerosis and affect coagulation and inflammation. Hypothesis: We aimed to investigate the role of fibrinogen genetic variants (rs180070 and rs2070011) on coagulation and inflammation in patients with combined DM and HTN. Methods: 744 subjects (HTN and DM) were enrolled in our study. Fibrinogen polymorphisms were determined by PCR-RFLP technique. Fibrinogen, interleukin-6 (IL-6), high sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP) CD40L, D-dimers and factors V, X activity were measured with appropriate laboratory methods. Results: In HTN patients, hsCRP levels were higher in the group of patients with higher fibrinogen levels compared to patients with lower and intermediate fibrinogen levels [0.28(0.12-0.42) vs 0.17(0.04-0.38) vs 0.18 (0.09-0.39), p=0.032)]. In addition, we found a significant effect of the rs180070 polymophism on IL-6 levels among HTN and DM. In HTN, IL-6 levels were higher in AA homozygotes of the rs180070 com...