Blood Clotting – The basics you should know…
More and more research is indicating that inflammation and clotting deregulation is contributing to the evolution of chronic disease.
It is important to note that the clotting mechanism itself is of utmost importance to survival; when an injury occurs, the body develops a “meshwork” formed from, the protein, fibrin and platelets. Basically the body creates a patch over an injured site – a natural band aid to cover an open wound.
Unfortunately, clots can begin to form under other circumstances also. They can form in response to infections, inflammation, and high blood vessel pressures. A simple clot responding to trauma or infection may soon cascade into plaque formation, thereby impeding blood flow, nutrients, and oxygen through blood vessels. If the clot or plaque blocks blood flow completely, cell death is likely to occur.
Clotting problems begin well before frank disease presents itself. By discovering and treating clotting problems before the disease process evolves, poor vessel health could be reversed.
Simple lab tests ordered by your healthcare physician can help determine if excessive clotting is taking place. We will discuss a few different tests which you can discuss with your healthcare practitioner.
Bleeding Time
A bleeding time is a quick and easy way to determine how quickly the body responds to injury and creates a clot. The optimal bleeding time for most individuals is 4-6 minutes. A rapid clotting time (3 minutes or less) is due to excessive platelets and/or aggregation and will likely require treatment.
Fibrinogen
Fibrinogen levels are a reflection of the body’s clotting activity. The optimal levels are between 275 – 325 mg/dl. Since fibrinogen is an “acute phase reactant”, it may increase due to any inflammatory or tissue damage condition. In view of the fact that fibrinogen testing is not a specific parameter, fibrinogen levels are used with other lab tests to determine an individuals risk for chronic diseases.
Homocysteine
Homocysteine is an amino acid found in the blood steam and its metabolism is linked to several vitamins, especially folic acid, B6, and B12. High homocysteine levels may be reduced with dietary vitamins such as Folate, B6 and B12. Elevated homocysteine levels are also seen in renal and cardiovascular disease. Several studies have shown that elevated homocysteine levels, increase blood coagulation by inhibiting tissue fibrinogen activators; the result is increased levels of fibrinogen and fibrin. An ideal homocysteine level is less than 9 micromol/liter.
CRP and Inflammation
C-reactive protein is a marker of systemic inflammation and can be used to asses the health of blood vessels and an individual’s susceptibility toward clot formation. High sensitivity CRP is a better indicator of inflammation related to the cardiovascular system. People with higher hs-CRP values have the highest risk of cardiovascular disease, and those with lower values have less of a risk. Specifically, individuals who have a hs-CRP result in the high end of the normal range, have 1.5 to 4 times the risk of having a heart attack compared to those with hs-CRP values at the low end of the normal range.
The American Heart Association and US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have defined risk groups as follows:
- Low risk: less than 1.0 mg/L
- Average risk: 1.0 to 3.0 mg/L
- High risk: above 3.0 mg/L
The management of clot formation and systemic inflammation may play a huge role in chronic disease, optimal heart function, and blood vessel health. Speaking to your healthcare physician about measuring lab parameters and assessing your risks is important. I invite you to consult with your healthcare provider and encourage you to read the following article for more information on the blood clotting.
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