RESUMEN
Measurements of hemostatic variables were performed prior to and up to the fifth day following general surgery in patients of Arab origin (N = 53). There was a significant postoperative elevation in the levels of plasma fibrinogen, clotting factors VIII and reduction of factor VII, ATIII, plasminogen, packed cell volume and platelet count. No significant changes were noted in PT, PTT, TT, RT, alpha-2-antiplasmin and factor X. Platelet aggregation responses to ADP, adrenaline, collagen, arachidonic acid and ristocetin was likewise unaffected by surgery. It was concluded that although the changes in plasmatic coagulation parameters are similar to that reported in Caucasians, lack of evidence of enhanced aggregation following surgery may explain the presumed low incidence of deep vein thrombosis in Arabs.
RESUMEN
Hemostatic measurements were performed in 33 volunteers in the morning and afternoon in one day during the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan, and were then repeated on an ordinary nonfasting day. There were no significant diurnal fluctuations in plasmatic hemostatic parameters either in Ramadan or on a nonfasting day. There was no difference in the morning and afternoon platelet aggregation responses between Ramadan and the nonfasting period. However, aggregation responses to ADP (2 microM/L), adrenaline, collagen, and arachidonic acid were diminished during Ramadan as compared to the nonfasting day. It is concluded that the stress encountered during the Ramadan fast, as depicted in the platelet aggregation responses, is less than that encountered on an ordinary nonfasting day.