Disturbances of coagulation and fibrinolytic pathways were studied in 53 young patients with cerebral ischemia. Upon admission 26 of 53 patients had abnormality in at least one of the antithrombin-III, protein C, protein S activities or in activated protein C (APC) ratios. Three months after the first examination the majority of the previously detected abnormalities returned to normal values and the most frequent alterations were decrease in protein S activity (3 patients) and APC resistance (3 patients). Conditions resulting in impaired fibrinolysis were frequently detected upon admission. Elevation of plasminogen activator inhibitor-1, lipoprotein (a), and alpha-2-antiplasmin was present in 23, 10, and 4 cases, respectively. It is concluded that abnormalities of coagulation as well as of the fibrinolytic systems are prevalent in the acute phase of cerebral ischemia, however, the results may be significantly influenced by the disease process or the acute phase effect.
Copyright 2001 S. Karger AG, Basel