COAGULATION ACTIVATION IN PATIENTS WITH AN INFLAMMATORY SYNDROME - ISTHERE A LINK WITH ACQUIRED PROTEIN-S DEFICIENCY

The pathogenic mechanisms of thrombosis during inflammatory syndromes are unknown. The aim of our study was to evaluate coagulation activati on and fibrinolysis and to study an acquired protein S deficiency in 5 8 patients with an inflammatory syndrome of neoplastic (16), infectiou s (24) or systemic (18) origin and in 54 control subjects. The results indicated that coagulation activation, demonstrated by an increase in the prothrombin fragment 1+2, was present in patients with an inflamm atory syndrome regardless of its origin. Free protein S, the only func tionally active protein, was not reduced even though C4b-binding prote in was increased in inflammatory syndromes. Thus, a prothrombotic stat e was found in inflammatory syndromes but is not explained by an acqui red protein S deficiency. All except five patients had normal plasmino gen activator inhibitor-1 levels. (C) 1998 Lippincott-Raven Publishers .