Statements in which the resource exists as a subject.
PredicateObject
rdf:type
lifeskim:mentions
pubmed:issue
2
pubmed:dateCreated
2004-2-2
pubmed:abstractText
Decreased von Willebrand factor cleaving protease activity (VWFCP, ADAMTS 13) leads to persistence of unusually large multimers of von Willebrand factor that bind to platelets, causing platelet aggregates, microangiopathic hemolysis, and thrombocytopenia in patients with thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (TTP). The clinical value of measuring ADAMTS 13 and its inhibitor is not fully defined; the case reported here illustrates the usefulness of the assay to help confirm the clinical diagnosis in a patient with other potential causes for thrombotic microangiopathy; the assay also helped in making treatment decisions. A patient with systemic lupus erythematosis (SLE) presented with fever and abdominal pain, thrombocytopenia, and anemia. Thrombotic microangiopathy was diagnosed by the appearance of schistocytes, decreasing platelet count, and evidence of hemolysis. ADAMTS 13 was decreased and an inhibitor was demonstrated in the patient's initial blood sample within 24 hr of admission. Plasma exchange was initiated, and serial assays showed increased ADAMTS 13 activity and decreased inhibitor after each plasma exchange; there was a rebound in inhibitor and a decrease in ADAMTS 13 activity prior to the next exchange that lessened over time. Increasing levels of protease activity correlated with clinical and laboratory improvement. Measurement of ADAMTS 13 activity and its inhibitor aided in the diagnosis of this complicated case of a patient with other potential causes for microangiopathic hemolysis. Subsequent levels correlated with the clinical course, and disappearance of the inhibitor indicated that long-term plasma exchange or other immunosuppressive treatment was not needed.
pubmed:language
eng
pubmed:journal
pubmed:citationSubset
IM
pubmed:chemical
pubmed:status
MEDLINE
pubmed:month
Feb
pubmed:issn
0361-8609
pubmed:author
pubmed:issnType
Print
pubmed:volume
75
pubmed:owner
NLM
pubmed:authorsComplete
Y
pubmed:pagination
96-100
pubmed:dateRevised
2006-11-15
pubmed:meshHeading
pubmed:year
2004
pubmed:articleTitle
Clinical usefulness of a functional assay for the von Willebrand factor cleaving protease (ADAMTS 13) and its inhibitor in a patient with thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura.
pubmed:affiliation
Warren Grant Magnuson Clinical Center Department of Laboratory Medicine, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland 20892, USA. mrick@mail.cc.nih.gov
pubmed:publicationType
Journal Article, Case Reports