Prospective study of plasma high molecular weight kininogen and prekallikrein and incidence of coronary heart disease, ischemic stroke and heart failure

摘要

Introduction: High molecular weight kininogen (HK) and prekallikrein (PK) are proteins in the kallikrein/kinin system of the coagulation cascade. They play an important role in the contact activation system of the intrinsic coagulation pathway, renin-angiotensin activation, and inflammation. Hence these proteins have been posited to affect the occurrence of cardiovascular events and thus to be potential therapeutic targets. Previous case-control studies have provided inconsistent evidence for an association of HK and PK with cardiovascular disease.