[Role of the hemostatic system in pathogenesis of atherosclerosis as the main etiology of coronary ischemia] [corrected].

Coronary artery disease is a leading cause of mortality in highly developed societies. This occurs in spite of growing therapeutic opportunities. Atherosclerosis begins as a functional or/and structural damage of endothelium, which in turn causes its discontinuation and impairs humoral and secreting function. Haemostasis plays an important role in the progression of atherosclerosis and development of cardiac complications--acute coronary syndromes. Research still continues to determine precisely role of each of haemostasis disorders in increased risk of coronary artery disease and its complications. The aim of this paper is to review the literature data concerning haemostatic risk factors and their role of development of coronary artery disease. Fibrinogen, thrombocytes, factor VII, factor VIII, von Willebrand factor (vWF), thrombomodulin (TM), plasminogen activator inhibitor--type 1 (PAI-1), tissue-plasminogen activator (t-PA) and other haemostatic factors, were described as more or less helpful in estimation of risk of occurrence of coronary artery disease and its cardiovascular complications. Only some of the described hematologic factors were verified so far in large prospective studies, and were recognized as independent risk factors of cardiovascular diseases.