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Increased prothrombin activation in a patient with congenital afibrinogenemia is reversible by fibrinogen substitution

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Abstract

We describe a patient with congenital afibrinogenemia who showed elevated prothrombin activation fragments (F1+2) indicating increased thrombin formation. This finding was unexpected since it has hitherto been thought that patients with congenital hypo- or afibrinogenemia have no evidence of increased utilization or accelerated consumption of coagulation factors. No other possible reasons for the elevation of F1+2 were found. Upon fibrinogen substitution F1+2 decreased and were again increasing when fibrinogen concentration in plasma fell to very low levels. These findings raise the question of whether increased thrombin formation should be understood as a compensatory mechanism in congenital afibrinogenemia.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institut für Klinische Chemie und Hämatologie, Kantonsspital, CH-9007, St. Gallen, Schweiz

    W. Korte

  2. Ostschweizerisches Kinderspital, CH-9007, St. Gallen, Schweiz

    A. Feldges

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  1. W. Korte
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  2. A. Feldges
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Korte, W., Feldges, A. Increased prothrombin activation in a patient with congenital afibrinogenemia is reversible by fibrinogen substitution. Clin Investig 72, 396–398 (1994). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00252836

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00252836

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