CORRELATION BETWEEN LEVELS OF SERUM FIBROBLAST GROWTH FACTOR 21, VON WILLEBRAND FACTOR, AND CAROTID ATHEROSCLEROSIS IN ELDERLY PATIENTS WITH HYPERTENSION

Objective: To study the correlation between levels of serum fibroblast growth factor 21 (FGF-21), von Willebrand factor (vWF), and carotid atherosclerosis in elderly patients with hypertension. Methods: 96 patients with essential hypertension who were treated in the Department of Neurology at our hospital between February 2017 and April 2019 were randomly selected as the study group. All patients underwent carotid ultrasonography and their IMT levels were measured. They were divided into a normal endometrial group (IMT <0.8mm, 35 cases), an endometrial thickening group (28 cases), and an endometrial plaque group (33 cases). Another 50 healthy subjects who underwent a physical examination in our hospital during the same period were selected as the control group. The levels of serum FGF-21, vWF, and lipoprotein (a) [Lp (a)] in each group were measured via enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, fibrinogen (FG) levels were measured by Glauss method, and changes in uric acid levels were assessed using an automatic biochemical analyzer. The correlation between levels of serum FGF-21, vWF, Lp (a), FG, uric acid, and IMT in elderly patients with cranial hypertension was analyzed using a Pearson correlation test. Results: Compared to the control group, the levels of serum FGF-21, vWF, Lp (a), FG, and uric acid in the study group were significantly higher. IMT measurements also increased notably in the study group (P<0.05). With increases in IMT thickness, the levels of serum FGF-21, vWF, Lp (a), FG, and uric acid also increased significantly (P<0.05). Our Pearson correlation test analysis showed that the levels of serum FGF-21, vWF, Lp (a), FG, and uric acid were positively correlated with IMT in elderly patients with hypertension (P<0.05). Conclusion: Serum FGF-21, vWF, IMT, Lp (a), FG, and uric acid levels were significantly positively correlated with IMT. The criteria listed above can be used as key indicators for estimating the degree of carotid atherosclerosis in elderly patients with hypertension.