[The clinical significance of plasma tissue plasminogen activator (t-PA) levels in severe acute or fulminant hepatitis].
We studied the tissue plasminogen activator (t-PA) levels in the plasma of patients with acute hepatitis (AH), severe acute hepatitis (AHs) and fulminant hepatitis (FH). Plasma t-PA levels were measured consecutively on the first, third and seventh days of hospitalization. Plasma t-PA levels were markedly higher in AHs and FH than in AH (p < 0.05, p < 0.01, respectively) on the first day, but did not differ significantly between AHs and FH on this day. The t-PA levels decreased markedly on the third and seventh days in AHs (both p < 0.05), but did not change from the first day to the third and seventh days in FH. The t-PA levels on the third and seventh days were higher in FH than in AHs (both p < 0.05). There was a significant increase in the plasma t-PA level before an episode of encephalopathy in FH compared with levels in AHs. These observations suggest that t-PA level may be useful as a prognostic parameter in patients with acute hepatic injury.
Hayashi
T
T
Second Department of Internal Medicine, St Marianna University, School of Medicine, Kawasaki.
Kobayashi
Y
Y
Yamaguchi
K
K
Kamogawa
A
A
Takahashi
Y
Y
Osada
T
T
Tomoe
M
M
Toyoma
H
H
Yoshida
H
H
Suzuki
M
M
Iino
S
S
D000208:Acute Disease; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D004796:Clinical Enzyme Tests; D005260:Female; D006505:Hepatitis / Q000175:diagnosis*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010959:Tissue Plasminogen Activator / Q000097:blood*
D010959:Tissue Plasminogen Activator