ELEVATED PLASMA TISSUE FACTOR ANTIGEN LEVEL IN PATIENTS WITH DISSEMINATED INTRAVASCULAR COAGULATION

The plasma tissue factor (TF) antigen level was measured in patients w ith disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC). The plasma TF antige n was detected in normal volunteers, and it was significantly higher i n DIC patients than in non-DIC patients. However, in some patients wit h DIC, the plasma TF antigen level was within the normal range. The pl asma TF antigen level in patients with DIC significantly decreased aft er therapy, but it was not correlated with organ failure or outcome. T he plasma TF antigen level in patients with DIC was not correlated wit h other hemostatic markers. The plasma TF antigen level tended to be h igher in DIC patients with nonlymphoid leukemia than in those with lym phoid tumor. TF might be implicated in the occurrence and progression of DIC. (C) 1994 Wiley-Liss, Inc.