Links between adipose tissue and thrombosis in the mouse.

Obesity has become a global epidemic and carries a considerable negative impact in regard to quality of life and life expectancy. A primary problem is that obese individuals are at increased risk of suffering from cardiovascular disease complications such as myocardial infarction and stroke. Because fat accumulation is a consistent aspect of obesity, mechanisms that may link adipose tissue to cardiovascular disease complications should be considered. Proteins expressed from adipose tissue, known as adipokines, are hypothesized to have important effects on the progression and incidence of cardiovascular disease complications. This review examines the evidence that adipokines play a direct role in vascular thrombosis, an important event in cardiovascular disease complications.