What is Fibrinogen?
Fibrinogen is a protein essential for blood clot formation. It is also an inflammatory biomarker associated with cardiovascular disease and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) (Yu et al., 2018). Along with other cardiac risk markers, such as hsCRP, it can help to determine a person’s risk of cardiovascular disease.
Why test fibrinogen?
Testing fibrinogen levels helps identify risk factors for lifestyle diseases early. It's useful if you have a poor diet low in nutrient-rich foods or a history of cardiovascular disease and want a comprehensive health check. Additionally, it allows you to monitor changes in blood values as you make lifestyle changes or take supplements, aiding in better health management.
What do the results mean?
Fibrinogen results are reported as the concentration of fibrinogen in the blood. Normal fibrinogen activity usually reflects normal clotting ability.
What causes low fibrinogen?
Significantly decreased fibrinogen activity may result from decreased or dysfunctional fibrinogen and may impair the body’s ability to form a stable blood clot. If fibrinogen is chronically low, your doctor will want to evaluate you for other health conditions. Low fibrinogen can be caused by acute trauma, malnutrition, blood loss, medication and liver conditions.
Symptoms of low fibrinogen
Low fibrinogen levels, a condition known as hypofibrinogenemia, can lead to several symptoms due to impaired blood clotting. Common symptoms include excessive bleeding, easy bruising, frequent nosebleeds, and prolonged bleeding from cuts or injuries. Women may experience heavy menstrual periods. In severe cases, it can lead to spontaneous bleeding in joints, muscles, or the gastrointestinal tract, which may cause pain and swelling. It is important to seek medical attention if you experience these symptoms.
What causes high fibrinogen?
Fibrinogen is an acute phase reactant and rises in inflammatory conditions or tissue damage. Elevated fibrinogen can signify inflammation or tissue damage, but not what is causing it. Chronically elevated levels may increase the risk of cardiovascular disease. Elevated levels can be due to stress, acute infection, coronary heart disease, cancer, stroke, trauma, smoking, pregnancy, cold temperatures, obesity and inflammatory disorders. Smokers with diabetes are at particularly high risk of developing higher levels.
Symptoms of high fibrinogen
Other information
Pregnancy and acute inflammatory processes can temporarily increase fibrinogen. Fibrinogen levels should return to normal once the underlying condition has been resolved. Other inflammatory markers that can help to investigate if you have systemic inflammation are hsCRP, TNF alpha, IL-6, ferritin, ESR and homocysteine (preferably with folate and vitamin B12).
Cholesterol medications may reduce fibrinogen levels. Improving cholesterol levels through diet may also help to normalize fibrinogen levels. Fish oil and dietary fibre may reduce fibrinogen levels. Several studies have shown that regular exercise can lower fibrinogen levels. Studies suggest that strenuous exercise may be particularly effective.
B vitamins, especially B6, B9 (folate), and B12, help to break down fibrinogen by lowering homocysteine levels. Never start a supplementation regime without first talking to a nutritionist or doctor. Some other dietary factors have been proposed to be linked to higher fibrinogen levels but none have strong evidence to support them.
Preparations for this test
No preparation is needed for this test.
On the day of the test
Remember to take your ID with you when going to take a test. Do not work out before going to do this test, as this may affect your results. Take this test before 10 am, as results can vary throughout the day. Arrive in good time and sit down quietly for 15 minutes before the test.