Asthma is associated with reduced fibrinolytic activity, abnormal clot architecture, and decreased clot retraction rate. Issue 2 (14th October 2016) - Tomasiak‐Lozowska, M. M.
Abstract: The aim of this study was to assess whether steroid‐naïve asthma modulates hemostasis. We evaluated the clot retraction rate (CRR), fibrinolysis rate (FR), clot density (CD) (by confocal microscopy), plasma levels of plasminogen activator inhibitor (PAI‐1), and factor XIII (FXIII), NO in exhaled breath (FENO ), spirometry (FEV1 ) and eosinophil count (EOS) in 36 patients with allergic, steroid‐naïve asthma and in 34 healthy controls. We observed significantly ( P < 0.001) reduced CRR, FR, and FEV1 and increased FENO, EOS, PAI‐1, FXIII, and CD in patients with asthma compared with controls. In patients with asthma, FR negatively correlated with CD, FXIII, PAI‐1, FENO, and EOS and positively with FEV1 . FXIII positively correlated with CD. Clot retraction rate negatively correlated with FENO and positively 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.