Thrombin Activatable Fibrinolysis Inhibitor (TAFI) is a 60 κD glycoprotein present
in plasma that regulates fibrinolysis by limiting the amount of fibrin available for
fibrinolysis by tissue plasminogen activator (t-PA). Chronic liver disease is well-known
to be associated with a low-grade fibrinolytic syndrome that under the appropriate
stimulus proceeds to an overt disseminated intravascular coagulopathy (DIC) with demonstrable
bleeding. In the present study, TAFI activity was measured in the plasma of 74 patients
with advanced liver disease, and the levels of TAFI were related to those of other
important coagulation and fibrinolytic factors. TAFI levels were very low and essentially
undetectable in the plasma of patients with advanced hepatocellular liver disease.
No relationship with the degradation products of fibrin was evident.
Keywords
Liver disease - coagulopathy - fibrinolysis - TAFI - disseminated intravascular coagulopathy
(DIC)
