Analysis of elevated fibrin(ogen) degradation product levels in patients with liver disease

1986 
Plasma and serum from patients with liver disease and elevated fibrin(ogen) degradation product (FDP) levels as measured by latex agglutination were analyzed by immunoblotting to characterize the FDP in these patients. An antihuman fibrinogen antibody was used that recognizes fibrinogen. fibrin monomer. soluble high molecular weight fibrinogen and fibrin polymers. as well as high molecular weight cross-linked degradation fragments. and the smaller fragments X. V. D-dimer, D. and E. The analytic procedures were validated with plasma and serum from patients known to have intravascular fibrinolysis associated either with disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC) or with thrombolytic therapy. The samples demonstrated a spectrum of plasmin degradation fragments on the immunoblots. Twenty-eightof 35 patients with liver disease (80%) had no evidence of plasmin degradation A CQUIRED ABNORMALITIES of fibrinogen function are common in association with liver disease and have been reported in as many as 80% to 90% of patients with cirrhosis, chronic active liver disease, and hepatic failure.’ A high incidence has also been observed in patients with hepatoma2 and metastases to the liven.’ The fibninogen dysfunctions seen in these patients probably represent a heterogeneous group of disorders with multiple pathogenetic mechanisms that have not yet been fully elucidated. Fibninogen dysfunction is usually manifested by prolonged thrombin and neptibase times and by abnormal polymerization of fibnin monomers.3 The fibninogen concentration is variable and may be low, normal, or high, and increased fibninogen-fibnin degradation product (FDP) levels are frequently reported.� “Intravascular coagulation of liver disease” has become a common diagnosis in patients with liver disease and elevated FDP levels.7 Elevated FDP levels in liver disease patients with fibrinogen abnormalities raise questions concerning the biochemical characteristics of the FDP and the role of fibninogenolysis and fibninolysis in these patients. This is particularly impontant because an increased FDP level is often used as a primary criterion for a diagnosis of intravascular coagulation in liver disease. However, the poorly cbottable character of fibninogen in these patients may result in fibnin monomer or uncbotted fibninogen remaining in the serum and thus genen
    • Correction
    • Source
    • Cite
    • Save
    • Machine Reading By IdeaReader
    26
    References
    59
    Citations
    NaN
    KQI
    []