ISSN:
1471-0528
Source:
Blackwell Publishing Journal Backfiles 1879-2005
Topics:
Medicine
Notes:
Tests of coagulation, fibrinolysis and platelet function were performed in patients with normal pregnancy, severe pre-eclampsia, mild pre-eclampsia, essential hypertension and placental insufficiency.Compared with normal pregnancy, severe pre-eclampsia was associated with higher serum and urinary fibrinolytic degradation products, cryofibrinogen and factor VIII levels, lower plasminogen and antithrombin activity and diminished sensitivity to urokinase-induced fibrinolysis. In addition severely pre-eclamptic patients had reduced platelet counts, lower response to adenosine diphosphate platelet aggregation and diminished platelet factor 3 activity. These changes were present before delivery and in the immediate puerperium, but six weeks after delivery the only difference detected between severely pre-eclamptic and normal patients was reduced platelet disaggregation in the severely pre-eclamptic group. In mild pre-eclampsia the changes in coagulation and fibrinolysis were less marked but serum fibrinolytic degradation products, cryofibrinogen, factor VIII and V levels were significantly raised and the platelet count reduced.No abnormalities of coagulation, fibrinolysis or platelet function were detected in essential hypertension. In placental insufficiency there was diminished platelet disaggregation before delivery but all other tests of coagulation, fibrinolysis and platelet function were similar to normal pregnancy.These results support the hypothesis that intravascular coagulation is present in pre-eclampsia.
Type of Medium:
Electronic Resource
URL:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1471-0528.1971.tb00216.x
Permalink