Platelet and Fibrinogen Survival with ⁷⁵Se Selenomethionine in Acute Infectious Hepatitis

Summary

Simultaneous platelet and fibrinogen survival with ⁷⁵Se selenomethionine was determined in eight patients with acute infectious hepatitis of intermediate severity. Fibrinogen survival alone was estimated in another nine patients, seven of whom were receiving heparin treatment. Platelet survival was found to be normal (7–9 days) in seven of the 8 patients ; it was reduced (4.6 days) only in one patient, who was also affected by measles. Fibrinogen survival was markedly reduced (1–3.7 days) and fibrinogen turnover sharply increased (0.59–2.80 mg/ml/day) in all but one patient, who had thalassaemia major, with normal fibrinogen survival and fibrinogen turnover. Heparin treatment did not affect either platelet survival or fibrinogen turnover. In all patients the coagulation defect was mild and no sign of disseminated intravascular coagulation or of increased fibrinolytic activity could be demonstrated by routine tests. These results are consistent with the hypothesis that in acute infectious hepatitis the decreased survival and increased turnover of fibrinogen might be due to a pathological pathway of defibrination independent of thrombin or plasmin.

• References

• 1 Awwad H. K, Potchen E. J, Adelstein S. J, Dealy Jr. J. B. ⁷⁵Seselenomethionine incorporation into human plasma proteins and erythrocytes. Metabolism 1966; 15: 626
• 2 Brecher G, Cronkite E. P. Morphology and enumeration of human blood platelets. Journal of Applied Physiology 1950; 3: 365
• 3 Brodsky I, Siegel N. H, Kahan S. B, Ross E. M, Petrov G. Simultaneous fibrinogen and platelet survival with ⁷⁵Seselenomethionine in man. British Journal of Haematology 1970; 18: 341
• 4 Budtz-Olsen O. E. Clot Retraction. Oxford: Blackwell Scientific Publications; 1963
• 5 Cohen C, Revel J. P, Kuceea J. Paracrystalline forms of fibrinogen. Science 1951; 141: 436
• 6 Dacie J. V, Lewis S. M. Practical Haematology. 4th edn. London: J. & A. Churchill Ltd; 1968
• 7 Dechavanne M, Bouletreau P, Petit P. Hepatite virale grave. Coagulation intravasculare et fibrinolyse. Etude radio-isotopique de la duree de vie de plaquettes et du fibrinogene. La Presse Médicale 1971; 79: 2485
• 8 Gallus A. S, Lucas C. R, Hirsh J. Coagulation studies in patients with acute infectious hepatitis. British Journal of Haematology 1972; 22: 761
• 9 Godal H. C. The interaction of protamine with human fibrinogen and the significance of this interaction for the coagulation of fibrinogen. Scandinavian Journal Laboratory and Clinical Investigation 1960; 12: 433
• 10 Godal H. C, Abildgaard U. Gelation of soluble fibrin in plasma by ethanol. Scandinavian Journal of Haematology 1966; 3: 342
• 11 Hawiger J, Collins R. D, Horn R. G. Precipitation of soluble fibrin monomer complexes by lysosomal protein fraction of polymorphonuclear leukocytes. Proceedings of the Society for Experimental Biology and Medicine 1969; 131: 349
• 12 Von Kaulla K. N. Chemistry of Thrombolysis: Human Fibrinolytic Enzymes . Springfield: Thomas; 1963: III
• 13 Lee S. L, White P. D. Clinical study of the coagulation time of blood. American Journal of the Medical Sciences 1913; 145: 495
• 14 Lowry O. H, Rosebrough N. J, Far A. L, Randall R. J. Protein measurement with the Polin fenol reagent. Journal Biological Chemestry 1951; 193: 265
• 15 Merskey C. Defibrination syndrome or …? (Editorial). Blood 1973; 41: 599
• 16 Musumeci S, D’Agata A, DI Gregorio L. La sopravvivenza delle piastrine e del fibrinogeno nella sindrome di Wiskott Aldrich. La Pediatria 1973; 81: 490
• 17 Najean Y, Ardaillou N. The use of ⁷⁵Seselenomethionine for the in vivo study of platelet kinetics. Scandinavian Journal of Haematology 1969; 6: 395
• 18 Ratnoff O. D, Menzie C. New method for the determination of fibrinogen in small samples of plasma. The Journal of Laboratory and Clinical Medicine 1951; 37: 316
• 19 Rizza C. R. The clinical feature of clotting factor deficiencies. In Rosemary Biggs. (ed.) Human Blood Coagulation, Haemostasis and Thrombosis . Oxford: Blackwell Scientific Publication; 1972
• 20 Seligsohn U, Rapaport S. I, Kuefler P. R. Extra-adrenal effect of ACTH on fibrinogen synthesis. American Journal of Physiology 1973; 224: 1172
• 21 Stewart G. J, Niewiarowski S. Aggregation of fibrinogen and its degradation products by basic proteins. An electron microscope study. Thrombosis et Diathesis Haemorrhagica 1971; 25: 566
• 22 Terada H, Baldini M, Ebbe S, Madoff M. A. Interaction of influensa virus with blood platelets. Blood 1966; 28: 213