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Alshalhoub M, Alhusain F, Alsulaiman F, Alturki A, Aldayel S, Alsalamah M. Clinical significance of elevated D-dimer in emergency department patients: a retrospective single-center analysis. Int J Emerg Med 2024; 17:47. [PMID: 38566042 PMCID: PMC10988841 DOI: 10.1186/s12245-024-00620-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/23/2023] [Accepted: 03/17/2024] [Indexed: 04/04/2024] Open
Abstract
INTRODUCTION D-dimer is a marker of coagulation and fibrinolysis widely used in clinical practice for assessing thrombotic activity. While it is commonly ordered in the Emergency Department (ED) for suspected venous thromboembolism (VTE), elevated D-dimer levels can occur due to various other disorders. The aim of this study was to find out the causes of elevated D-dimer in patients presenting to a large ED in Saudi Arabia and evaluate the accuracy of D-dimer in diagnosing these conditions. METHODS Data was collected from an electronic hospital information system of patients who visited the ED from January 2016 to December 2022. Demographic information, comorbidities, D-dimer levels, and diagnoses were analyzed. Statistical analysis was performed using the SPSS software. The different diagnoses associated with D-dimer levels were analyzed by plotting the median D-dimer levels for each diagnosis category and their interquartile ranges (IQR). The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were calculated and their area under the curve (AUC) values were demonstrated. The optimal cut-off points for specific diseases were determined based on the ROC analysis, along with their corresponding sensitivities and specificities. RESULTS A total of 19,258 patients with D-dimer results were included in the study. The mean age of the participants was 50 years with a standard deviation of ± 18. Of the patients, 66% were female and 21.2% were aged 65 or above. Additionally, 21% had diabetes mellitus, 20.4% were hypertensive, and 15.1% had been diagnosed with dyslipidemia. The median D-dimer levels varied across different diagnoses, with the highest level observed in aortic aneurysm 5.46 g/L. Pulmonary embolism (PE) and deep vein thrombosis (DVT) were found in 729 patients (3.8%) of our study population and their median D-dimer levels 3.07 g/L (IQR: 1.35-7.05 g/L) and 3.36 g/L (IQR: 1.06-8.38 g/L) respectively. On the other hand, 1767 patients (9.2%) were diagnosed with respiratory infections and 936 patients (4.9%) were diagnosed with shortness of breath (not specified) with median D-dimer levels of 0.76 g/L (IQR: 0.40-1.47 g/L) and 0.51 g/L (IQR: 0.29-1.06 g/L), respectively. D-dimer levels showed superior or excellent discrimination for PE (AUC = 0.844), leukemia (AUC = 0.848), and aortic aneurysm (AUC = 0.963). DVT and aortic dissection demonstrated acceptable discrimination, with AUC values of 0.795 and 0.737, respectively. D-dimer levels in respiratory infections and shortness of breath (not specified) exhibited poor to discriminatory performance. CONCLUSION This is the first paper to identify multiple causes of elevated D-dimer levels in Saudi Arabia population within the ED and it clearly highlights their accurate and diagnostic values. These findings draw attention to the importance of considering the specific clinical context and utilizing additional diagnostic tools when evaluating patients with elevated D-dimer levels.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mohammed Alshalhoub
- Emergency Medicine Department, Ministry of the National Guard - Health Affairs, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
- King Abdullah International Medical Research Center, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
| | - Faisal Alhusain
- Emergency Medicine Department, Ministry of the National Guard - Health Affairs, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
- King Abdullah International Medical Research Center, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | - Feras Alsulaiman
- Emergency Medicine Department, Ministry of the National Guard - Health Affairs, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
- King Abdullah International Medical Research Center, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | - Abdulaziz Alturki
- King Abdullah International Medical Research Center, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
- College of Medicine, King Saud bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | - Saud Aldayel
- King Abdullah International Medical Research Center, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
- College of Medicine, King Saud bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | - Majid Alsalamah
- Emergency Medicine Department, Ministry of the National Guard - Health Affairs, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
- King Abdullah International Medical Research Center, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
- College of Medicine, King Saud bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
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Zagrapan B, Klopf J, Celem ND, Brandau A, Rossi P, Gordeeva Y, Szewczyk AR, Liu L, Ahmadi-Fazel D, Najarnia S, Fuchs L, Hayden H, Loewe C, Eilenberg W, Neumayer C, Brostjan C. Diagnostic Utility of a Combined MPO/D-Dimer Score to Distinguish Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm from Peripheral Artery Disease. J Clin Med 2023; 12:7558. [PMID: 38137627 PMCID: PMC10743483 DOI: 10.3390/jcm12247558] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/25/2023] [Revised: 11/24/2023] [Accepted: 12/01/2023] [Indexed: 12/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) and peripheral artery disease (PAD) share pathophysiological mechanisms including the activation of the fibrinolytic and innate immune system, which explains the analysis of D-dimer and myeloperoxidase (MPO) in both conditions. This study evaluates the diagnostic marker potential of both variables separately and as a combined MPO/D-dimer score for identifying patients with AAA versus healthy individuals or patients with PAD. Plasma levels of MPO and D-dimer were increased in PAD and AAA compared to healthy controls (median for MPO: 13.63 ng/mL [AAA] vs. 11.74 ng/mL [PAD] vs. 9.16 ng/mL [healthy], D-dimer: 1.27 μg/mL [AAA] vs. 0.58 μg/mL [PAD] vs. 0.38 μg/mL [healthy]). The combined MPO/D-dimer score (median 1.26 [AAA] vs. -0.19 [PAD] vs. -0.93 [healthy]) showed an improved performance in distinguishing AAA from PAD when analysed using the receiver operating characteristic curve (area under the curve) for AAA against the pooled data of healthy controls + PAD: 0.728 [MPO], 0.749 [D-dimer], 0.801 [score]. Diagnostic sensitivity and specificity ranged at 82.9% and 70.2% (for score cut-off = 0). These findings were confirmed for a separate collective of AAA patients with 35% simultaneous PAD. Thus, evaluating MPO together with D-dimer in a simple score may be useful for diagnostic detection and the distinction of AAA from athero-occlusive diseases like PAD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Branislav Zagrapan
- Department of General Surgery, Division of Vascular Surgery, University Hospital Vienna, Medical University of Vienna, 1090 Vienna, Austria; (B.Z.); (J.K.); (N.D.C.); (A.B.); (P.R.); (Y.G.); (A.R.S.); (L.L.); (D.A.-F.); (S.N.); (L.F.); (H.H.); (W.E.); (C.N.)
| | - Johannes Klopf
- Department of General Surgery, Division of Vascular Surgery, University Hospital Vienna, Medical University of Vienna, 1090 Vienna, Austria; (B.Z.); (J.K.); (N.D.C.); (A.B.); (P.R.); (Y.G.); (A.R.S.); (L.L.); (D.A.-F.); (S.N.); (L.F.); (H.H.); (W.E.); (C.N.)
| | - Nihan Dide Celem
- Department of General Surgery, Division of Vascular Surgery, University Hospital Vienna, Medical University of Vienna, 1090 Vienna, Austria; (B.Z.); (J.K.); (N.D.C.); (A.B.); (P.R.); (Y.G.); (A.R.S.); (L.L.); (D.A.-F.); (S.N.); (L.F.); (H.H.); (W.E.); (C.N.)
| | - Annika Brandau
- Department of General Surgery, Division of Vascular Surgery, University Hospital Vienna, Medical University of Vienna, 1090 Vienna, Austria; (B.Z.); (J.K.); (N.D.C.); (A.B.); (P.R.); (Y.G.); (A.R.S.); (L.L.); (D.A.-F.); (S.N.); (L.F.); (H.H.); (W.E.); (C.N.)
| | - Patrick Rossi
- Department of General Surgery, Division of Vascular Surgery, University Hospital Vienna, Medical University of Vienna, 1090 Vienna, Austria; (B.Z.); (J.K.); (N.D.C.); (A.B.); (P.R.); (Y.G.); (A.R.S.); (L.L.); (D.A.-F.); (S.N.); (L.F.); (H.H.); (W.E.); (C.N.)
| | - Yulia Gordeeva
- Department of General Surgery, Division of Vascular Surgery, University Hospital Vienna, Medical University of Vienna, 1090 Vienna, Austria; (B.Z.); (J.K.); (N.D.C.); (A.B.); (P.R.); (Y.G.); (A.R.S.); (L.L.); (D.A.-F.); (S.N.); (L.F.); (H.H.); (W.E.); (C.N.)
| | - Alexandra Regina Szewczyk
- Department of General Surgery, Division of Vascular Surgery, University Hospital Vienna, Medical University of Vienna, 1090 Vienna, Austria; (B.Z.); (J.K.); (N.D.C.); (A.B.); (P.R.); (Y.G.); (A.R.S.); (L.L.); (D.A.-F.); (S.N.); (L.F.); (H.H.); (W.E.); (C.N.)
| | - Linda Liu
- Department of General Surgery, Division of Vascular Surgery, University Hospital Vienna, Medical University of Vienna, 1090 Vienna, Austria; (B.Z.); (J.K.); (N.D.C.); (A.B.); (P.R.); (Y.G.); (A.R.S.); (L.L.); (D.A.-F.); (S.N.); (L.F.); (H.H.); (W.E.); (C.N.)
| | - Diana Ahmadi-Fazel
- Department of General Surgery, Division of Vascular Surgery, University Hospital Vienna, Medical University of Vienna, 1090 Vienna, Austria; (B.Z.); (J.K.); (N.D.C.); (A.B.); (P.R.); (Y.G.); (A.R.S.); (L.L.); (D.A.-F.); (S.N.); (L.F.); (H.H.); (W.E.); (C.N.)
| | - Sina Najarnia
- Department of General Surgery, Division of Vascular Surgery, University Hospital Vienna, Medical University of Vienna, 1090 Vienna, Austria; (B.Z.); (J.K.); (N.D.C.); (A.B.); (P.R.); (Y.G.); (A.R.S.); (L.L.); (D.A.-F.); (S.N.); (L.F.); (H.H.); (W.E.); (C.N.)
| | - Lukas Fuchs
- Department of General Surgery, Division of Vascular Surgery, University Hospital Vienna, Medical University of Vienna, 1090 Vienna, Austria; (B.Z.); (J.K.); (N.D.C.); (A.B.); (P.R.); (Y.G.); (A.R.S.); (L.L.); (D.A.-F.); (S.N.); (L.F.); (H.H.); (W.E.); (C.N.)
| | - Hubert Hayden
- Department of General Surgery, Division of Vascular Surgery, University Hospital Vienna, Medical University of Vienna, 1090 Vienna, Austria; (B.Z.); (J.K.); (N.D.C.); (A.B.); (P.R.); (Y.G.); (A.R.S.); (L.L.); (D.A.-F.); (S.N.); (L.F.); (H.H.); (W.E.); (C.N.)
| | - Christian Loewe
- Department for Bioimaging and Image-Guided Therapy, Division of Cardiovascular and Interventional Radiology, University Hospital Vienna, Medical University of Vienna, 1090 Vienna, Austria;
| | - Wolf Eilenberg
- Department of General Surgery, Division of Vascular Surgery, University Hospital Vienna, Medical University of Vienna, 1090 Vienna, Austria; (B.Z.); (J.K.); (N.D.C.); (A.B.); (P.R.); (Y.G.); (A.R.S.); (L.L.); (D.A.-F.); (S.N.); (L.F.); (H.H.); (W.E.); (C.N.)
| | - Christoph Neumayer
- Department of General Surgery, Division of Vascular Surgery, University Hospital Vienna, Medical University of Vienna, 1090 Vienna, Austria; (B.Z.); (J.K.); (N.D.C.); (A.B.); (P.R.); (Y.G.); (A.R.S.); (L.L.); (D.A.-F.); (S.N.); (L.F.); (H.H.); (W.E.); (C.N.)
| | - Christine Brostjan
- Department of General Surgery, Division of Vascular Surgery, University Hospital Vienna, Medical University of Vienna, 1090 Vienna, Austria; (B.Z.); (J.K.); (N.D.C.); (A.B.); (P.R.); (Y.G.); (A.R.S.); (L.L.); (D.A.-F.); (S.N.); (L.F.); (H.H.); (W.E.); (C.N.)
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Ling T, Liu J, Dong L, Liu J. The roles of P-selectin in cancer cachexia. Med Oncol 2023; 40:338. [PMID: 37870739 DOI: 10.1007/s12032-023-02207-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/03/2023] [Accepted: 09/30/2023] [Indexed: 10/24/2023]
Abstract
P-selectin, a cell adhesion molecule of the selectin family, is expressed on the surface of activated endothelial cells (ECs) and platelets. Binding of P-selectin to P-selectin glycoprotein ligand-1 (PSGL-1) supports the leukocytes capture and rolling on stimulated ECs and increases the aggregation of leukocytes and activated platelets. Cancer cachexia is a systemic inflammation disorder characterized by metabolic disturbances, reduced body weight, loss of appetite, fat depletion, and progressive muscle atrophy. Cachexia status is associated with increased pro-inflammatory cytokines such as tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), which activates ECs to release P-selectin. Single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) loci of P-selectin encoding gene SELP are associated with higher level of plasma P-selectin and increase the susceptibility to cachexia in cancer patients. Elevated P-selectin expression has been observed in the hypothalamus, liver, and gastrocnemius muscle in animal models with cancer cachexia. Increased P-selectin may cause excessive inflammatory processes, muscle atrophy, and blood hypercoagulation, thus facilitating the development of cancer cachexia. In this review, physiological functions of P-selectin and its potential roles in cancer cachexia have been summarized. We also discuss the therapeutic potential of P-selectin inhibitors for the treatment of cancer cachexia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tingting Ling
- Department of Respiratory, Shandong Provincial Qianfoshan Hospital, School of Clinical Medicine, Weifang Medical College, Weifang, 261053, China
| | - Jing Liu
- Institute of Microvascular Medicine, Medical Research Center, The First Affiliated Hospital of Shandong First Medical University & Shandong Provincial Qianfoshan Hospital, 16766 Jingshi Road, Jinan, 250014, China
| | - Liang Dong
- Department of Respiratory, The First Affiliated Hospital of Shandong First Medical University & Shandong Provincial Qianfoshan Hospital, Jinan, 250014, China
| | - Ju Liu
- Institute of Microvascular Medicine, Medical Research Center, The First Affiliated Hospital of Shandong First Medical University & Shandong Provincial Qianfoshan Hospital, 16766 Jingshi Road, Jinan, 250014, China.
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Liu Y, Liu S, Zhao J, Wu K, Xu B, Wang W. Increased plasma renin by vasodilators promotes the progression of abdominal aortic aneurysm. Front Pharmacol 2023; 14:1174278. [PMID: 37383707 PMCID: PMC10299739 DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2023.1174278] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/26/2023] [Accepted: 05/22/2023] [Indexed: 06/30/2023] Open
Abstract
Background: It is well-accepted that antihypertensive therapy is the cornerstone of treatment for abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) patients with hypertension. Direct-acting vasodilators were used in the treatment of hypertension by directly relaxing vascular smooth muscle but may have destructive effects on the aortic wall by activating the renin-angiotensin system axis. Their roles in AAA disease remain to be elucidated. In this study, we used hydralazine and minoxidil, two classical direct-acting vasodilators, to investigate their influence and potential mechanisms on AAA disease. Methods and results: In this study, we investigated the plasma renin level and plasma renin activity in AAA patients. Simultaneously, age and gender ratio-matched patients diagnosed with peripheral artery disease and varicose veins were selected as the control group using a ratio of 1:1:1. Our regression analysis suggested both the plasma renin level and plasma renin activity are positively associated with AAA development. In view of the well-established relationship between direct-acting vasodilators and increased plasma renin concentration, we established a porcine pancreatic elastase-infused AAA mouse model, followed by oral administration of hydralazine (250 mg/L) and minoxidil (120 mg/L) to investigate effects of direct-acting vasodilators on AAA disease. Our results suggested both hydralazine and minoxidil promoted the progression of AAA with increased aortic degeneration. Mechanistically, the vasodilators aggravated aortic inflammation by increased leukocyte infiltration and inflammatory cytokine secretion. Conclusion and relevance: The plasma renin level and plasma renin activity are positively associated with AAA development. Direct vasodilators aggravated experimental AAA progression, which raised cautionary concerns about their applications in AAA disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yu Liu
- Department of General and Vascular Surgery, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, China
| | - Shuai Liu
- Department of General and Vascular Surgery, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, China
| | - Jiani Zhao
- Department of General and Vascular Surgery, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, China
| | - Kemin Wu
- Department of General and Vascular Surgery, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, China
- National Clinical Research Center for Geriatric Disorders, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, China
| | - Baohui Xu
- Department of Surgery, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, United States
| | - Wei Wang
- Department of General and Vascular Surgery, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, China
- National Clinical Research Center for Geriatric Disorders, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, China
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Daskalopoulou A, Giotaki SG, Toli K, Minia A, Pliaka V, Alexopoulos LG, Deftereos G, Iliodromitis K, Dimitroulis D, Siasos G, Verikokos C, Iliopoulos D. Targeted Proteomic Analysis of Patients with Ascending Thoracic Aortic Aneurysm. Biomedicines 2023; 11:biomedicines11051273. [PMID: 37238945 DOI: 10.3390/biomedicines11051273] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2023] [Revised: 04/13/2023] [Accepted: 04/24/2023] [Indexed: 05/28/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND There is a need for clinical markers to aid in the detection of individuals at risk of harboring an ascending thoracic aneurysm (ATAA) or developing one in the future. OBJECTIVES To our knowledge, ATAA remains without a specific biomarker. This study aims to identify potential biomarkers for ATAA using targeted proteomic analysis. METHODS In this study, 52 patients were divided into three groups depending on their ascending aorta diameter: 4.0-4.5 cm (N = 23), 4.6-5.0 cm (N = 20), and >5.0 cm (N = 9). A total of 30 controls were in-house populations ethnically matched to cases without known or visible ATAA-related symptoms and with no ATAA familial history. Before the debut of our study, all patients provided medical history and underwent physical examination. Diagnosis was confirmed by echocardiography and angio-computed tomography (CT) scans. Targeted-proteomic analysis was conducted to identify possible biomarkers for the diagnosis of ATAA. RESULTS A Kruskal-Wallis test revealed that C-C motif chemokine ligand 5 (CCL5), defensin beta 1 (HBD1), intracellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM1), interleukin-8 (IL8), tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNFα) and transforming growth factor-beta 1 (TGFB1) expressions are significantly increased in ATAA patients in comparison to control subjects with physiological aorta diameter (p < 0.0001). The receiver-operating characteristic analysis showed that the area under the curve values for CCL5 (0.84), HBD1 (0.83) and ICAM1 (0.83) were superior to that of the other analyzed proteins. CONCLUSIONS CCL5, HBD1 and ICAM1 are very promising biomarkers with satisfying sensitivity and specificity that could be helpful in stratifying risk for the development of ATAA. These biomarkers may assist in the diagnosis and follow-up of patients at risk of developing ATAA. This retrospective study is very encouraging; however, further in-depth studies may be worthwhile to investigate the role of these biomarkers in the pathogenesis of ATAA.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aphrodite Daskalopoulou
- Laboratory for Experimental Surgery and Surgical Research "N.S. Christeas", Athens Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 115 27 Athens, Greece
| | - Sotiria G Giotaki
- Second Department of Cardiology, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 115 27 Athens, Greece
| | - Konstantina Toli
- Cardiology Department, General Hospital of Chalkida, 341 00 Chalkida, Greece
| | - Angeliki Minia
- Protatonce Ltd., Demokritos Science Park, 153 43 Athens, Greece
| | - Vaia Pliaka
- Protatonce Ltd., Demokritos Science Park, 153 43 Athens, Greece
| | - Leonidas G Alexopoulos
- Protatonce Ltd., Demokritos Science Park, 153 43 Athens, Greece
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, National Technical University of Athens, 106 82 Athens, Greece
| | - Gerasimos Deftereos
- Department of Cardiology, G. Gennimatas, General Hospital of Athens, 115 27 Athens, Greece
| | | | - Dimitrios Dimitroulis
- Second Department of Propedeutic Surgery, Laiko General Hospital, School of Medicine, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 115 27 Athens, Greece
| | - Gerasimos Siasos
- Third Department of Cardiology, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 115 27 Athens, Greece
| | - Christos Verikokos
- Second Department of Propedeutic Surgery, Laiko General Hospital, School of Medicine, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 115 27 Athens, Greece
| | - Dimitrios Iliopoulos
- Laboratory for Experimental Surgery and Surgical Research "N.S. Christeas", Athens Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 115 27 Athens, Greece
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