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Thromb Haemost 2012; 108(03): 516-526
DOI: 10.1160/TH12-05-0355
Blood Coagulation, Fibrinolysis and Cellular Haemostasis
Schattauer GmbH

Dysregulated coagulation associated with hypofibrinogenaemia and plasma hypercoagulability: Implications for identifying coagulopathic mechanisms in humans

Rita Marchi
1   Laboratorio Biologia del Desarrollo de la Hemostasia, Instituto Venezolano de Investigaciones Cientificas (IVIC), Caracas, Venezuela
2   Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA
,
Bethany L. Walton
2   Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA
,
Colleen S. McGary
2   Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA
,
Feng-Chang Lin
3   Department of Biostatistics and North Carolina Translational and Clinical Sciences Institute, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA
,
Alice D. Ma
4   Department of Medicine, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA
,
Rafal Pawlinski
4   Department of Medicine, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA
,
Nigel Mackman
4   Department of Medicine, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA
,
Robert A. Campbell
5   Program in Molecular Medicine, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA
,
Jorge Di Paola
6   Department of Pediatrics and Human Medical Genetics and Genomics Program, University of Colorado, Denver, Colorado, USA
,
Alisa S. Wolberg
2   Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA
› Author Affiliations Financial support: This study was supported by funding from the National Institutes of Health (R01HL094740 to ASW) and the National Center for Research Resources (TraCS award UL1RR025747 to ASW). BLW was partially supported by Grant #56005708 from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute to the UNC Program in Translational Medicine.
Further Information

Publication History

Received: 25 May 2012

Accepted: 29 May 2012

Publication Date:
25 November 2017 (online)

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Summary

Identifying coagulation abnormalities in patients with combined bleeding and thrombosis history is clinically challenging. Our goal was to probe the complexity of dysregulated coagulation in humans by characterizing pathophysiologic mechanisms in a patient with both bleeding and thrombosis. The patient is a 56-year-old female with a history of haematomas, poor wound healing, and thrombosis (retinal artery occlusion and transient cerebral ischaemia). She had a normal activated partial thromboplastin time, prolonged thrombin and reptilase times, and decreased functional and antigenic fibrinogen levels, and was initially diagnosed with hypodysfibrinogenaemia. This diagnosis was supported by DNA analysis revealing a novel FGB mutation (c.656A>G) predicting a Q189R mutation in the mature chain that was present in the heterozygote state. However, turbidity analysis showed that purified fibrinogen polymerisation and degradation were indistinguishable from normal, and Bβ chain subpopulations appeared normal by two-dimensional difference in-gel electrophoresis, indicating the mutated chain was not secreted. Interestingly, plasma thrombin generation testing revealed the patient’s thrombin generation was higher than normal and could be attributed to elevated levels of factor VIII (FVIII, 163–225%). Accordingly, in an arterial injury model, hypofibrinogenaemic mice (Fgn+/−) infused with factor VIII demonstrated significantly shorter vessel occlusion times than saline-infused Fgn+/− mice. Together, these data associate the complex bleeding and thrombotic presentation with combined hypofibrinogenaemia plus plasma hypercoagulability. These findings suggest previous cases in which fibrinogen abnormalities have been associated with thrombosis may also be complicated by co-existing plasma hypercoagulability and illustrate the importance of “global” coagulation testing in patients with compound presentations.

Keywords

Thrombin generation - factor VIII - hypofibrinogenaemia - thrombosis - bleeding
 

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