title: Levels of F(1+2) prothrombin fragments and thrombin - antithrombin III (TAT) complexes in patients with dermatitis herpetiformis.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Dermatitis herpetiformis (DH) is a rare bullous disease of autoimmune etiology. It is an intestinocutaneous syndrome, in which vesicopapular cutaneous lesions are accompanied by gluten-dependent enteropathy. The diagnosis of DH is based on immunopathological investigation of unaffected skin fragment (granular IgA deposits present at the tops of dermal papillae and IgA - EmA present in the serum).
  
  
  METHODS
  The studied group consisted of 33 patients with dermatitis herpetiformis - 23 males and 10 females aged 22-78 (mean age 44.7). In all the patients, the following parameters of blood coagulation systems were determined in the plasma Levels of prothrombin fragments 1+2 (F(1+2)), levels of thrombin - antithrombin III (TAT) complexes, antithrombin III activity (AT III).
  
  
  RESULTS
  In patients with dermatitis herpetiformis, the main level of F(1+2) fragments amounted to 9.08 nmol/l, as compared with 1.14 nmol/l in the control group (the difference statistically significant, p<0.0001). In DH patients, the levels of TAT complexes were over twice higher than among the controls and that difference also reached statistical significance (p<0.0001). Mean antithrombin III activity (AT III) in patients with DH reached 102.60% and was similar to that observed in the control group (104.68%).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In patients with dermatitis herpetiformis, increased levels of F(1+2) prothrombin fragments and TAT complexes indicate enhanced in vivo thrombinogenesis. No statistically significant differences of F(1+2), TAT and AT III levels in DH patients related to their sex, age and duration of the disease were observed.
authors.affiliation: Chair and Clinic of Dermatology, Medical University of Bydgoszcz, Poland.
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Wankiewicz
authors.forename: Iza
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Iwan-Zietek
authors.forename: Zenon
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Gwieździński
authors.forename: Maria
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kotschy
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000990:Antithrombin III; D001780:Blood Coagulation Tests; D003874:Dermatitis Herpetiformis / Q000097:blood* / Q000276:immunology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010446:Peptide Fragments / Q000097:blood*; D010447:Peptide Hydrolases / Q000097:blood*; D011516:Prothrombin
chemical_list: D010446:Peptide Fragments; C046193:antithrombin III-protease complex; C045879:prothrombin fragment 1.2; D000990:Antithrombin III; D011516:Prothrombin; D010447:Peptide Hydrolases