title: [Fibrinolytic activities and their relations to esophageal variceal bleeding in patients with liver cirrhosis].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Esophageal variceal bleeding in liver cirrhosis is a major complication and has high mortality rate. We tried to find fibrinolytic parameters, which correlated with variceal bleeding in cirrhotic patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  We divided the cirrhotic patients into two groups: bleeding group (group A, n=15) and non-bleeding group (Group B, n=17). Fibrinolytic parameters (fibrinogen, D-dimer, plasminogen, tissue plasminogen activator [t-PA], fibrin degradation product [FDP], and plasminogen activator inhibitor type-1 [PAI-1]) were compared between two groups. In the group A, serial samplings were taken at the initial period, 3 days, 8 days, 15 days and 6 weeks after the bleeding onset.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Plasma levels of FDP and D-dimer in the group A were significantly higher than the group B (1.7 +/- 1.16 vs. 0.95 +/- 1.27 mg/L and 10.96 +/- 6.58 vs. 4.99 +/- 3.50 micro gram/mL, respectively, p value<0.05). The clinical, biochemical, and coagulation parameters didn't show significant differences in both groups. The fibrinolytic parameters were improved along with the hemodynamic stabilization in group A.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Cirrhotic patients with increased fibrinolytic activity were at higher risk of bleeding. Thus, the measurement of these parameters would be useful to identify patients at higher risk of esophageal variceal bleeding.
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Korea.
authors.forename: Jung Won
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Yun
authors.forename: Byung Ik
authors.initials: BI
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Han Byul
authors.initials: HB
authors.lastname: Chun
authors.forename: Sang Tai
authors.initials: ST
authors.lastname: Hwang
authors.forename: Jeong Wook
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Dong Il
authors.initials: DI
authors.lastname: Park
authors.forename: Yong Kyun
authors.initials: YK
authors.lastname: Cho
authors.forename: In Kyung
authors.initials: IK
authors.lastname: Sung
authors.forename: Chang Young
authors.initials: CY
authors.lastname: Park
authors.forename: Chong Il
authors.initials: CI
authors.lastname: Sohn
authors.forename: Woo Kyu
authors.initials: WK
authors.lastname: Jeon
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001777:Blood Coagulation; D004932:Esophageal and Gastric Varices / Q000097:blood / Q000150:complications*; D005342:Fibrinolysis; D006471:Gastrointestinal Hemorrhage / Q000097:blood / Q000209:etiology*; D006801:Humans; D008103:Liver Cirrhosis / Q000150:complications*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged