Hypercoagulability, and A ccelerated Thrombosis: Studies in Congenitally Hyperlipidemic Rats and in Rats and Monkeys With Induced Hyperlipidemia

good correlation between the levels of many coagulation factors and serum cholesterol in both rats and monkeys. If thrombosis is important in the genesis of atherosclerosis, these findings could indicate that elevation of plasma lipids may play a role, via the coagulation pathway, in the production of human vascular disease. L IPIDS, known to be essential for optimal blood coagulation,’� are usually derived from blood platelets. Lipid in other blood cells or in the plasma is of less importance; platelet-poor plasma clots incompletely. Still to be determined is the extent to which an excess of fat in plasma may be associated with promoting or accelerating the development of thrombosis or atheroma. Lipid accumulation in the aorta can be induced by a diet containing large amounts of cholesterol,3 and levels of blood coagulation components can be raised by a diet containing cholesterol, cholic acid, thiouracil, and saturated