Summary
Haemostatic disturbances associated with elevated plasma fibrinogen levels have been implicated in coronary heart disease. Changes involving plasma fibrinogen levels have been reported after acute exercise. However, the results reported have sometimes been controversial, due to differences in the populations studied, exercise protocols and testing procedures, and the analytical methods employed for the assessment of plasma fibrinogen levels.
The influence of physical training on plasma fibrinogen levels is more controversial and less well known. Cross-sectional studies suggest that regular exercise reduces plasma fibrinogen concentration. However, the influence of training programmes on plasma fibrinogen levels is less well studied and the available data are still poor with conflicting results being reported. This lack of evidence warrants further investigations in order to clarify the exact effects of acute exercise and physical training on plasma fibrinogen levels in normal healthy individuals and patients.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Doolittle RF. Fibrinogen and fibrin. In: Bloom AL, Forbes CD, editors. Haemostasis and thrombosis. London: Churchill Livingstone, 1994:491–513
Krobot K, Hense HW, Cremer P, et al. Determinants of plasma fibrinogen: relation to body weight, waist-to-hip ratio, smoking, alcohol, age and sex: results from the second MONICA Augsburg Survey, 1989–1990. Arterioscl Thromb 1992; 12: 780–8
Eliasson M, Evrin PE, Lundbald D, et al. Influence of gender and sampling time on plasma fibrinolytic variables and fibrinogen. Fibrinolysis 1993; 7: 316–23
Lee AJ, Smith WCS, Lowe GDO, et al. Plasma fibrinogen and coronary risk factors: the Scottish Heart Study. J Clin Epidemiol 1990; 43: 913–9
McDonald L, Edgill M. Coagulability of the blood in ischaemic heart disease. Lancet 1957; II: 457–60
Pilgeram LO. Relation of plasma fibrinogen concentration changes to human arteriosclerosis. J Appl Physiol 1961: 16; 660–4
Ogston CM, Ogston D. Plasma fibrinogen levels in health and ischaemic heart disease. J Clin Pathol 1986; 19: 352–6
Nicolaides AN, Bowers R, Horbourne T, et al. Blood viscosity, red cell flexibility, haematocrit, and plasma fibrinogen in patients with angina. Lancet 1977; II: 943–5
Lowe GDO, Drummond MM, Lorimer AR, et al. Relation between extent of coronary artery disease and blood viscosity. BMJ 1980; 280: 673–4
Meade TW, Chakrabarti R, Hains AP, et al. Haemostatic function and cardiovascular death: early results of a prospective study. Lancet 1980; II: 1050–4
Wilhelmsen L, Svardsud K, Korsan-Bengtsen K, et al. Fibrinogen as a risk factor for stroke and myocardial infarction. N Engl J Med 1984; 311: 501–5
Stone MC, Thorp JM. Plasma fibrinogen: a major coronary risk factor. J R Coll Gen Pract 1985; 35: 56–9
Meade TW, Mellows S, Brozovic M, et al. Haemostatic function and ischaemic heart disease: principal results of North-wick Park Heart Study. Lancet 1986; II: 533–7
Kannel WB, D’Agostino RB, Blannger AJ. Fibrinogen, cigarette smoking, and risk of cardiovascular disease: insight from the Framingham Study. Am Heart J 1987; 113: 1006–10
Kannel WB, Wolf PA, Castelli WP, et al. Fibrinogen and risk of cardiovascular disease: The Framingham Study. JAMA 1987; 9: 1183–6
Yarnell JWG, Baker IA, Sweetnam PM, et al. Fibrinogen, viscosity, and white blood cell count are major risk factors for ischaemic heart disease: the Caerphilly and Speedwell Collaborative Heart Disease Studies. Circulation 1991; 83: 836–44
Naimi S, Goldstein R, Proger S. Studies of coagulation and fibrinolysis of the arterial and venous blood in normal subjects and patients with atherosclerosis. Circulation 1963; 27: 904–18
Lofmark R. Fibrinogen derivatives and recurrent myocardial infarction. Acta Med Scand 1982; 212: 293–4
Lennander KG. Uber die Moglichkeit, Thrombose in den venen der unteren Extremitaten nach Operationen Zu verhuten, nach denen langeres Still-Liegen notig ist. Zentralbl Chir 1989; 1: 553–60
El-Sayed MS, Davies B. A physical conditioning program does not alter fibrinogen concentration in young healthy subjects. Med Sci Sports Exerc 1995; 27: 485–9
Karp JE, Bell WR. Fibrinogen-fibrin degradation products and fibrinolysis following exercise in humans. Am J Physiol 1974; 227: 1212–5
Herren T, Bartsch P, Haeberli A, et al. Increased thrombin-anti-thrombin III complexes after 1 h physical exercise. J Appl Physiol 1992; 73: 2499–504
De Paz JA, Lasierra J, Villa JG, et al. Changes in the fibrinolytic system associated with physical conditioning. Eur J Appl Physiol 1992; 65: 388–93
Rankinen T, Vaisanen S, Penttila I, et al. Acute exercise increases fibrinolytic activity. Thromb Haemost 1995; 73: 281–6
Watts EJ. Haemostatic changes in long-distance runners and their relevance to the prevention of ischaemic heart disease. Blood Coagul Fibrinolysis 1991; 2: 221–5
Collen D, Semeraro N, Tricot JP, et al. Turnover of fibrinogen, plasminogen, and prothrombin during exercise in man. J Appl Physiol 1977; 42: 865–73
Speiser W, Langer W, Pschaick A, et al. Increased blood fibrinolytic activity after physical exercise: comparative study in individuals with different sporting activities and in patients after myocardial infarction taking part in a rehabilitation program. Thromb Res 1988; 51: 543–5
Hyers TM, Martin BJ, Pratt DS, et al. Enhanced thrombin and plasmin activity with exercise in man. J Appl Physiol 1980; 48: 821–5
Ponjee GA, Janssen ME, Wersch WJ. Prolonged endurance exercise and blood coagulation: a 9 months prospective study. Blood Coagul Fibrinolysis 1993; 4: 21–5
Loon BJ, Briet E, Heere L, et al. Fibrinolytic system during long-distance running in IDDM patients and in health subjects. Diabetes Care 1992; 15: 991–6
Ferguson EW, Barr CF, Bernier LI. Fibrinogenolysis and fibrinolysis with strenuous exercise. J Appl Physiol 1979; 47: 1157–61
Hansen JB, Wilsgard L, Olsen JO, et al. Formation and persistence of procoagulant and fibrinolytic activities in circulation after strenuous exercise. Thromb Haemost 1990; 64: 385–9
Ohri VC, Chatterji JC, Das BK, et al. Effect of submaximal exercise on haematocrit, platelet count, platelet aggregation and blood fibrinogen levels. Sports Med Phys Fitness 1983; 23: 127–30
Suzuki T, Yamauchi K, Yamada Y, et al. Blood coagulability and fibrinolytic activity before and after physical training during the recovery phase of acute myocardial infarction. Clin Cardiol 1992; 15: 358–64
Jootar S, Chaisiripoomkere W, Thaikla O, et al. Effect of running exercise on haematological changes, hematopoietic cells (CFU-GM) and fibrinolytic system in humans. J Med Assoc Thai 1992; 75: 94–8
Arai M, Hisshi Y, Ikematsu S, et al. Influence of strenuous exercise (triathlon) on blood coagulation and fibrinolytic system. Thromb Res 1990; 57: 465–71
Bartsch P, Haeberrli A, Straub PW. Blood coagulation after distance running: antithrombin III prevents fibrin formation Thromb Haemost 1990; 63: 430–4
Martin DG, Ferguson EW, Wigutoff S, et al. Blood viscosity responses to maximal exercise in endurance trained and sedentary female subjects. J Appl Physiol 1985; 59: 348–53
Osterud B, Olsen JO, Wilsgard L. Effect of strenuous exercise on blood monocytes and their relation to coagulation. Med Sci Sports Exerc 1989; 21: 274–8
Arnesen H, Akesson I, Stromme SB. Fibrin/fibrinogen degradation products (FDP) in urine and serum after prolonged heavy exercise. Scand J Haematol 1976; 16: 279–84
Gurewich V, Lipinski I, Lipinski B. Exercise-induced fibrinolytic activity and its effect on the degradation of fibrinogen, fibrin and fibrin-like precipitates. Thromb Res 1974; 5: 647–56
Morris JN, Clayton DG, Everitt MG, et al. Exercise in leisure time: coronary attack and death rates. Br Heart J 1990; 63: 325–34
Rosengren A, Wilhelmsen L, Welin T, et al. Social influences and cardiovascular risk factors as determinants of plasma fibrinogen concentration in a general population sample of middle aged men. BMJ 1990; 300: 634–8
Connelly, Cooper JA. Meade TW. Strenuous exercise, plasma fibrinogen, and factor VII activity. Br Heart J 1992; 67: 351–4
Letcher RL, Pickering TG, Chien S, et al. Effects of exercise on plasma viscosity in athletes and sedentary normal subjects. Clin Cardiol 1981; 4: 172–9
Rankinen T, Rauramaa R, Vaisanen S, et al. Inverse relationship between physical activity and plasma fibrinogen in post-menopausal women. Atherosclerosis 1993; 102: 181–6
Tonstad S, de Lange P, Sivertsen M, et al. Physical fitness and fibrinogen levels among hypercholestrolemic postmenopausal women. Nutr Metab Cardiovasc Dis 1995; 5: 93–7
Dufaux B, Order U, Hollmann W. Can physical exercise induce an effective fibrinolysis? Thromb Res 1984; 36: 37–43
Ernst E, Schmid M, Matrai A. Intraindividual changes of hemorheological and other variables by regular exercise. J Sports Cardiol 1985; 2: 50–4
Stratton JR, Chandller WL, Schwartz RS, et al. Effects of physical conditioning on fibrinolytic variables and fibrinogen in young and old healthy adults. Circulation 1991; 83: 1692–7
Wosornu D, Allardyce W, Ballantyne D, et al. Influence of power and aerobic exercise training on haemostatic factors after coronary artery surgery. Br Heart J 1992; 68: 181–6
Hornsby WG, Boggess KA, Lyons TJ, et al. Hemostatic alterations with exercise conditioning in NIDDM. Diabetes Care 1990; 13: 87–92
Eichner ER. The hematology of inactivity. Rheum Dis Clin North Am 1990; 16: 815–25
Rakinen T, Rauramaa R, Vaisanen S, et al. Blood coagulation and fibrinolytic factors are unchanged by aerobic exercise or fat modified diet. Fibrinolysis 1994; 8: 48–53
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
El-Sayed, M.S. Fibrinogen Levels and Exercise. Sports Med 21, 402–408 (1996). https://doi.org/10.2165/00007256-199621060-00002
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.2165/00007256-199621060-00002