Clinical Utility of the Ratio Between Circulating Fibrinogen and Fibrin （ogen） Degradation Products for Evaluating Coronary Artery Disease in Type 2 Diabetic Patients

Background:We investigated whether and to what extent the ratio between circulating fibrinogen (Fg) and its degradation products (FDP)reflects the severity of coronary artery disease (CAD) in type 2 diabetic patients.Methods:Plasma levels of Fg and FDP were determined,and Fg/FDP ratio was calculated in 344 consecutive patients with type 2 diabetes and chest pain on exertion undergoing coronary angiography.The severity of CAD was evaluated by the number of significant CAD (＞50％ luminal diameter narrowing) and Gensini score.Results:Plasma Fg was higher,but Fg/FDP ratio was lower in patients with significant CAD (n =255) compared with those without (n =89),due to a disproportionate increase in FDP.Fg and FDP correlated positively,while Fg/FDP ratio negatively,with the number of diseased coronary arteries and the tertile of Gensini score (all P values for trend ＜ 0.01).After adjusting for age,sex,risk factors for CAD,lipid profiles,glycosylated hemoglobin A1c,creatinine,leukocyte count,and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein,Fg/FDP ratio remained an independent determinant for multivessel coronary disease (MVD) (odds ratio [OR],0.869; 95％ confidence interval [CI],0.788-0.958,P =0.005) and high tertile of Gensini score (OR,0.797,95％ CI,0.682-0.930,P =0.004).The area under the curve of Fg/FDP ratio was larger than that of Fg for predicting the presence of MVD (0.647 vs.0.563,P =0.048) and Gensini score ≥ 30 (0.656 vs.0.53 8,P =0.026).Conclusions:Elevated plasma Fg and FDP level and reduced Fg/FDP ratio are associated with presence of CAD,and Fg/FDP ratio is superior to Fg in reflecting severe coronary atherosclerosis for patients with type 2 diabetes.