Coagulation factors and recurrence of ischemic and bleeding adverse events in patients with acute coronary syndromes

In the last years, management and prognosis of patients with acute coronary syndromes (ACS) are significantly improved. Nowadays antithrombotic (antiplatelet plus anticoagulant drugs) therapy represents the main treatment of ACS patients. Anticoagulant drugs are particularly helpful in the acute phase of ACS, whereas in the chronic phase are maintained only in selected cases. Many studies demonstrate that exists a significant variability in the coagulation factor levels between patients affected by ACS. This variation on coagulation factors levels is due to environmental (smoking, inflammation, sex, oral contraceptive, triglycerides, diabetes mellitus) and genetic determinants. Particularly several gene polymorphisms have been selected and clearly associated with significant variations in the coagulation factors values. The heightened levels of tissue factor, factor VII and fibrinogen are related with a "hypercoagulable status" and with a higher occurrence of ischemic complications aft...