Decreased clot retraction rate in asthma

(HealthDay)—Clot retraction rate (CRR) and fibrinolysis rate (FR) are reduced in steroid-naive asthma, according to a study published online Oct. 14 in Allergy.

Maria M. Tomasiak-Lozowska, M.D., Ph.D., from the Medical University of Bialystok in Poland, and colleagues assessed CRR, FR, clot density (CD), plasma levels of plasminogen activator inhibitor (PAI-1) and factor XIII (FXIII), nitric oxide (NO) in exhaled breath (FE_NO), spirometry (forced expiratory volume in one second [FEV₁]), and eosinophil count (EOS) in allergic, steroid-naive asthma patients (36 patients) and healthy controls (34 patients).

The researchers found that, compared with controls, patients with asthma had significant reductions in CRR, FR, and FEV₁, and increases in FE_NO, EOS, PAI-1, FXIII, and CD (all P < 0.001). There was a negative correlation for FR with CD, FXIII, PAI-1, FE_NO, and EOS, and a positive correlation with FEV₁. A positive correlation was seen for FXIII with CD. A negative correlation was seen for CRR with FE_NO and a positive correlation 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," the authors write.

Copyright © 2016 HealthDay. All rights reserved.