title: Tissue factor levels and high ratio of fibrinopeptide A:D-dimer as a measure of endothelial procoagulant disorder in pre-eclampsia.
abstract: To assess coagulation activation and endothelial cell injury in normotensive and pre-eclamptic pregnant women, a comparison was made of plasma levels of tissue factor, fibronectin, fibrinopeptide A and D-dimer. Samples were taken from 50 nonpregnant women, 40 normotensive pregnant women in the third trimester and 27 women with pre-eclampsia after diagnosis and before treatment. High levels of fibrinopeptide A and D-dimer were found in pre-eclamptic women. Moreover, the ratio fibrinopeptide A:D-dimer was much greater in the pre-eclampsia group than in normotensive pregnant women. The levels of fibronectin and tissue factor were also higher in the pre-eclampsia group. The increase of tissue factor levels suggests an alteration of the extrinsic coagulation pathway in pre-eclampsia. The increase of fibrinopeptide A:D-dimer ratio shows that the activation of coagulation is associated with a relative hypofibrinolysis in pre-eclampsia.
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Tarragona Joan XXIII Hospital, Rovira i Virgili University, Tarragona, Spain.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Bellart
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Gilabert
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Anglès
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Piera
authors.forename: R M
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Miralles
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Monasterio
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Cabero
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000933:Antifibrinolytic Agents / Q000032:analysis*; D001778:Blood Coagulation Disorders / Q000097:blood*; D005260:Female; D005338:Fibrin Fibrinogen Degradation Products / Q000032:analysis*; D005344:Fibrinopeptide A / Q000032:analysis*; D005865:Gestational Age; D006801:Humans; D011225:Pre-Eclampsia / Q000097:blood*; D011247:Pregnancy; D013925:Thromboplastin / Q000032:analysis*
chemical_list: D000933:Antifibrinolytic Agents; D005338:Fibrin Fibrinogen Degradation Products; C036309:fibrin fragment D; D005344:Fibrinopeptide A; D013925:Thromboplastin