Plasma plasmin-alpha2-plasmin inhibitor complex levels are increased in systemic sclerosis patients with pulmonary hypertension.
OBJECTIVE
To determine the frequency and clinical significance of plasma plasmin-alpha(2)-plasmin inhibitor complex (PIC) in patients with systemic sclerosis (SSc).


METHODS
Plasma samples from 74 patients with SSc and 32 healthy volunteers were examined by a specific enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.


RESULTS
Elevated plasma PIC levels were present in 35 of the 74 patients (47.3%) with SSc. The patients with elevated plasma PIC levels had pulmonary hypertension (PH) at a significantly higher incidence than those with normal PIC levels (31.4 vs 7.7%, P<0.01). When PH was classified into isolated PH (IPH) and secondary PH (SPH), the presence of IPH was significantly greater in patients with elevated PIC levels than in those with normal levels (25.7 vs 5.1%, P<0.02).


CONCLUSIONS
These results suggest that plasma PIC levels may be a marker of PH, especially IPH, in patients with SSc.
Jinnin
M
M
Department of Dermatology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Tokyo, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-Ku, Japan.
Ihn
H
H
Yamane
K
K
Asano
Y
Y
Yazawa
N
N
Tamaki
K
K
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000933:Antifibrinolytic Agents / Q000032:analysis*; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005260:Female; D005341:Fibrinolysin / Q000032:analysis*; D006801:Humans; D006976:Hypertension, Pulmonary / Q000097:blood* / Q000209:etiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012595:Scleroderma, Systemic / Q000097:blood* / Q000150:complications; D000979:alpha-2-Antiplasmin / Q000032:analysis*
D000933:Antifibrinolytic Agents; D015415:Biomarkers; D000979:alpha-2-Antiplasmin; C037742:plasmin-plasmin inhibitor complex; D005341:Fibrinolysin