Strenuous exercise, plasma fibrinogen, and factor VII activity.

OBJECTIVE To assess the effect of physical activity on plasma fibrinogen and factor VII activity and thus on the risk of ischaemic heart disease. DESIGN Cross sectional survey. SETTING Ten group practices in the Medical Research Council's General Practice Research Framework. PATIENTS 3967 men aged 45-69 attending screening clinics for the thrombosis prevention trial. METHODS Structured interview to elicit the intensity and frequency of physical exercise during past month. Measurement of fibrinogen, factor VII activity, cholesterol concentration, blood pressure, and other indices of ischaemic heart disease risk. RESULTS Strenuous exercise was associated with significantly lower fibrinogen concentrations than mild exercise, implying a difference of about 15% in the risk of ischaemic heart disease. Strenuous exercise was also associated with lower cholesterol concentrations. More frequent strenuous exercise was associated with lower factor VII activity. CONCLUSIONS With the recognition of plasma fibrinogen as a strong index of ischaemic heart disease risk the results of this and other studies suggest a pathway through which the protective effect of strenuous exercise may partly be mediated and they provide doctors and patients with a valuable incentive towards prevention, particularly in those whose risk of ischaemic heart disease is substantially due to raised fibrinogen concentrations.