Subjects with a shortened activated partial thromboplastin time show increased in‐hospital mortality associated with elevated D‐dimer, C‐reactive protein and glucose levels

Background: Shortened activated partial thromboplastin time (aPTT) values are associated with enhanced coagulation activation. However, the clinical relevance of shortened aPTTs is not well defined. The aim of this study was to determine the in‐hospital mortality rate in subjects with shortened aPTTs and the effects of polymorphism in plasminogen activator inhibitor (PAI)‐, t‐PA‐ and factor XIII gene on the coagulation status. D‐dimer, C‐reactive protein (CRP) and glucose, markers that have been related with increased mortality, were tested. Results: We found that a shortened aPTT on admission was associated with an increased risk of in‐hospital mortality (OR=2.6, 95% CI: 2.1–3.5). Non‐survivors with short aPTTs had significantly higher plasma D‐dimer, CRP and glucose levels compared with survivors. Subjects homozygous for PAI‐1 5G and t‐PA I alleles showed higher plasma D‐dimer levels compared with 4G/4G PAI‐1 (p=0.02) and D/D t‐PA (p=0.001) homozygotes, respectively. Conclusions: These results suggest t...