Levels of serum
fibrin degradation products (
FDP) were determined in patients with acute
nephritis, chronic
nephritis, lupus nephritis and
toxemia of pregnancy by the passive hemagglutination inhibition test. Serum
FDP levels were less than 10 mug/ml in normal control adults, averaging 3.2 +/- 1.2 mug/ml. The incidence of serum
FDP positive patients (more than 10 mug/ml) in those with acute
nephritis, chronic
nephritis, lupus nephritis and
toxemia of pregnancy was 28%, 73%, 100% and 100%, respectively. Their serum
FDP levels averaged 8.4 +/- 5.6 mug/ml, 16.0 +/- 5.9 mug/ml, 21.4 +/- 7.6 mug/ml and 35 mug/ml, respectively. Plasma
fibrinogen levels, prothrombin time, partial thromboplastin time, euglobulin lysis time and platelet counts were within normal limits in serum
FDP positive patients with renal diseases, indicating that there was no severe
disseminated intravascular coagulation. All
FDP positive patients with renal diseases of immunological origin demonstrated the deposition of
fibrin within glomeruli with
complement and
immunoglobulin deposits. However,
FDP positive patients with
toxemia of pregnancy demonstrated
fibrin depositions within glomeruli without
complement and
immunoglobulin deposits.
FDP D fragments of urine from
lupus nephritis patients showed no changes in immunoelectrophoretic patterns by heat treatment, indicating that urine
FDP was derived from secondary fibrinolysis.