von Willebrand factor and coronary heart disease. Prospective study and meta-analysis

Aims To determine whether circulating von Willebrand factor concentrations are prospectively related to risk of coronary heart disease in the general population. Methods and Results We measured baseline von Willebrand factor values in the stored serum samples of 625 men with major coronary events and in 1266 controls ‘nested’ in a prospective study of 5661 men aged 40–59 years, recruited from general practices in 18 British towns in 1978–1980 and followed up for 16 years for fatal coronary heart disease and non-fatal myocardial infarction. We conducted a meta-analysis of previous relevant studies to place our results in context. Men in the top third of baseline von Willebrand factor values (tertile cutoff >126IU.dl−1) had an odds ratio for coronary heart disease of 1·83 (95% confidence interval 1·43–2·35; 2P