title: Asthma is associated with reduced fibrinolytic activity, abnormal clot architecture, and decreased clot retraction rate.
abstract: The aim of this study was to assess whether steroid-naïve asthma modulates hemostasis. We evaluated the clot retraction rate (CRR), fibrinolysis rate (FR), clot density (CD) (by confocal microscopy), plasma levels of plasminogen activator inhibitor (PAI-1), and factor XIII (FXIII), NO in exhaled breath (FENO), spirometry (FEV1) and eosinophil count (EOS) in 36 patients with allergic, steroid-naïve asthma and in 34 healthy controls. We observed significantly (P < 0.001) reduced CRR, FR, and FEV1and increased FENO, EOS, PAI-1, FXIII, and CD in patients with asthma compared with controls. In patients with asthma, FR negatively correlated with CD, FXIII, PAI-1, FENO, and EOS and positively with FEV1. FXIII positively correlated with CD. Clot retraction rate negatively correlated with FENOand positively with FEV1(all P < 0.001). These novel findings suggest that asthma itself is associated with decreased CRR and reduced fibrinolytic potential resulting from alterations in clot architecture and elevated levels of plasma FXIII and PAI-1.
authors.affiliation: Department of Allergy and Internal Diseases, Medical University of Bialystok, Bialystok, Poland.
authors.forename: M M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Tomasiak-Lozowska
authors.affiliation: Department of Physical Chemistry, Medical University of Bialystok, Bialystok, Poland.
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Misztal
authors.affiliation: Department of Physical Chemistry, Medical University of Bialystok, Bialystok, Poland.
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Rusak
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Medical University of Bialystok, Bialystok, Poland.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Branska-Januszewska
authors.affiliation: Department of Allergy and Internal Diseases, Medical University of Bialystok, Bialystok, Poland.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bodzenta-Lukaszyk
authors.affiliation: Department of Allergy and Internal Diseases, Medical University of Bialystok, Bialystok, Poland.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Tomasiak
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001249:Asthma / Q000097:blood* / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis; D015415:Biomarkers; D001772:Blood Cell Count; D001777:Blood Coagulation; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D003018:Clot Retraction; D005260:Female; D005342:Fibrinolysis; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D013147:Spirometry; D013927:Thrombosis / Q000209:etiology* / Q000473:pathology*
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers
keywords: asthma; clot retraction; clot structure; fibrinolysis; pulmonary thromboembolism