Plasma D-Dimer Levels in Patients with Active Pulmonary Tuberculosis

In patients with active pulmonary tuberculosis, hypercoagulability due to inflammation and hemostatic changes by cytokines is reported. Increase in plasma levels of D-dimer, a product of fibrin degradation, can be expected in this group. For this aim, plasma D-dimer levels were prospectively evaluated in patients with active pulmonary tuberculosis. The levels of plasma D-dimer were measured by quantitative latex method in 45 patients with pulmonary tuberculosis (Group 1), in 39 patients with lung disease other than tuberculosis (Group 2), and in 19 healthy persons (Group 3). The mean plasma D-dimer concentrations were 687.58 +/- 1060.64 mu g/L in Group 1, 1095.51 +/- 1378.82 mu g/L in Group 2 and 31.95 +/- 22.55 mu g/L in Group 3. The mean plasma D-dimer concentrations of Group 1 and Group 2 were found significantly higher than the concentrations of Group 3 (p=0.001, p=0.001). No statistical difference was found between the plasma D-dimer concentrations of Group 1 and 2 (p=0.127). The results showed that the levels of plasma D-dimer in patients with active pulmonary tuberculosis were significantly higher than that of healthy persons, but no significant differences were found between the patients with pulmonary tuberculosis and patients with lung diseases other than tuberculosis.