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Plasma soluble P-selectin (sP-selectin), β-thromboglobulin (β-TG), von Willebrand Factor (vWF), prothrombin factor 1+2 (F1+2), IL-6 and IL-1β levels were analyzed in 35 consecutive patients with polygenic type IIa hypercholesterolemia (HC) and 35 age- and sex-matched healthy subjects. sP-selectin (p < 0.005), β-TG (p < 0.05) and IL-1β (p < 0.02) levels were higher in HC patients than healthy subjects whereas no significant difference was observed for vWF. sP-selectin directly correlated with β-TG (p < 0.05) and IL-1β levels (p < 0.005), but not with the other variables analyzed. A direct correlation was observed between F1+2 and IL-6 (p < 0.05), total cholesterol (p < 0.05) or LDL cholesterol (p < 0.05). We conclude that HC is associated with an increase of plasma sP-selectin levels, and that sP-selectin may be considered as a marker of in vivo platelet activation in type IIa polygenic HC. The correlations observed among the variables analyzed in the study suggest that proinflammatory cytokines might play a role in the prothrombotic state often associated with HC.

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