Fibrin/fibrinogen degradation products in cerebrospinal fluid of patients admitted to a psychiatric unit

Coagulation and fibrinolytic activity of cerebrospinal fluid.

“…We found FDP in the CSF of 23-4% of patients undergoing diagnostic lumbar or ventricular puncture compared with 18-5% in an earlier report (Hunter et al, 1974). Filtration of protein into the CSF compartment is known to be inversely related to molecular size (Schliep and Felgenhauer, 1974), and these low molecular weight FDP (fragments D and E) were present in association with other coagulation proteins of similar molecular size which are also not normally detectable in CSF These proteins were found in patients with in- flammatory, vascular, and neoplastic conditions, which are known to increase the permeability of meningeal and choroidal capillaries, and the findings are consistent with protein leakage across a damaged blood-CSF barrier.…”

“…Fibrin/fibrinogen degradation products may appear in CSF under pathological conditions even with a normal serum FDP level (Hunter et al, 1974;Brueton et al, 1976), but the assumption that their presence in CSF is solely a consequence of increased CSF fibrinolysis (Tovi, 1972;Hunter et al, 1974) now seems unlikely. We found FDP in the CSF of 23-4% of patients undergoing diagnostic lumbar or ventricular puncture compared with 18-5% in an earlier report (Hunter et al, 1974).…”

“…Nevertheless, it is a well-known clinical observation that CSF specimens may clot in pathological conditions such as tuberculous meningitis. The products of fibrinolytic activity-fibrin/fibrinogen degradation products (FDP)-have been found in CSF after subarachnoid haemorrhage (Tovi, 1972;Tovi et al, 1972), in meningitis (Brueton et al, 1974(Brueton et al, , 1976, and in 18 5 % of patients admitted to a district psychiatric unit (Hunter et al, 1974).…”

Fibrin-fibrinogen degradation products in cerebrospinal fluid.

“…Patients with subarachnoid haemorrhage do not, however, show increased plasminogen activator activity in the CSF , as would be expected with increased fibrinolysis, and the present study of meningitis has indicated an alternative mechanism for the occurrence of FDP in CSF. Further studies of this type are therefore indicated in subarachnoid haemorrhage, and also in patients with raised CSF protein of non-inflammatory origin (Hunter et al, 1974) and in infants with birth asphyxia who show excess protein in ventricular CSF and are prone to intraventricular haemorrhage (Cole et al, 1974).…”

“…Fibrin-fibrinogen degradation products (FDP) are not found in normal cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) but have been demonstrated following subarachnoid haemorrhage (Tovi, 1972), meningococcal meningitis (Brueton et al, 1974), and in patients with raised CSF protein (Hunter et al, 1974). The source of origin of the FDP is not clear although this is an important point in view of the potential diagnostic value of raised FDP and also in relation to the treatment of subarachnoid haemorrhage by fibrinolytic blockade (Mullan and Dawley, 1968;Gibbs and Corkill, 1971;Tovi, 1972).…”