The ECAT Angina Pectoris Study is a European multicentre study investigating the pathogenetic and possibly predictive role of the haemostatic system in the progress of coronary heart disease. In this paper we report the cross-sectional analysis of haemostatic factors in 3043 patients, who underwent coronary angiography due to angina pectoris. Fibrinogen levels were higher in patients with one or more coronary stenoses of at least 50% than in patients without, by an average of 0.16 g.l-1 (P < 0.0001). Depressed fibrinolytic activity due to higher levels of PAI was also associated with the presence of coronary stenoses. There was no association with the extent of coronary arteriosclerosis, as assessed by the number of involved arteries, except that patients who had more vessels with total occlusions had higher fibrinogen levels. Depressed fibrinolytic activity was also clearly associated with diabetes, obesity, higher triglyceride levels, smoking and impaired cardiac pump function as assessed by ejection fraction. Cholesterol levels were particularly correlated with protein C and plasminogen.