Blood Fibrinolysis and Coagulation in New Guineans and Australians

Summary Studies were made in fasting and resting healthy New Guineans, 24 males and 24 females, and 71 young Australian males. New Guineans had shorter recalcification coagulation times (means, 250 v. 324 sec.) and shorter dilute blood clot lysis times (2.88 v. 3.92 hr) but not shorter euglobulin lysis times than Australians. The two measures of fibrinolysis correlated highly in both races (r >0.6, P <0.001). Measures of coagulability, including partial thromboplastin times in Australians, did not correlate significantly with any indices of body build. An inverse relationship between blood fibrinolytic activity and adiposity as measured by skinfolds was present but statistically insignificant in both racial groups. A more accurate estimate of body fat could be made only in Australians and gave a significant relationship (r ‐0.275, P <0.02). From consideration of the results and published reports it was suggested that there is a true relationship between fibrinolysis and adiposity which holds for different races and that differences in body fatness may account for much of the observed racial differences in fibrinolysis. There was no relation of fibrinolysis to muscularity. Blood fibrinolysis was positively related to coagulability (r >0.4, P <0.001) in both racial groups. Further work is needed on the interplay between the coagulative and fibrinolytic systems and its possible relevance to the pathogenesis of atherosclerotic and thrombotic diseases.