Thromboembolic disease includes a wide concept enclosing arterial and
venous thrombosis. However, their physiopathologies show different effectors. The
haemostatic system is a very complex mechanism with several roles such as maintenance
of vascular permeability, production of an occlusive thrombus if vascular
injury and its lysis. Biomarkers in cardiovascular medicine are useful non-invasive and
sensitive tools adding information of the disease state and the possible management of
these patients. The current chapter will attempt to provide the reader an insight into the
mechanisms that accompany the pathological development of thrombus, particularly
platelet-related. The endothelium, platelets and coagulation factors continue to attract
widespread attention because of two independent mechanisms involved in atherothrombosis,
aspects of both of which will be addressed in the following sections
together with novel biomarkers such as microparticles, miRNAs or monocyte-platelet
aggregates.
Keywords: Atherothrombosis, Biomarkers, Cytokines, Function test, Glycoprotein
IIb/IIIa, Glycoprotein Ia, Glycoprotein VI, Mean platelet volume, Membrane
receptor, miRNA, Microparticles, Monocytes, P-selectin, Pathophysiology,
Platelet functional assay, Platelet glycoproteins, Platelet-monocyte aggregate,
Platelets, Polymorphism, Venous thromboembolism.