Fibrin D-Dimer and Coronary Heart Disease

Background —It is unknown whether modest increases of fibrin D-dimer, a circulating marker of fibrin turnover, are relevant to coronary heart disease (CHD) in the general population. Methods and Results —We measured serum concentrations of D-dimer antigen in the stored baseline blood samples of 630 CHD cases and 1269 controls “nested” in a prospective cohort of 5661 men who were monitored for 16 years, and we conducted a meta-analysis of previous relevant studies to place our findings in context. In a comparison of men in the top third compared with those in the bottom third of baseline fibrin D-dimer values (tertile cutoffs, >94 versus P Conclusion —Although there may be an association between circulating D-dimer values and CHD, further studies are needed to determine the extent to which this is causal.