Behaviour of Indexes of Platelet Activity and Active Fibrinolysis in Plasma from Patients with Seasonal Allergic Rhinitis and Concomitant Asthma During Pollen Season

Background. Some hemostatic disturbances are observed in patients with various clinical manifestations of atopy. Increased platelet activation in vivo has been shown in patients with chronic allergic asthma. Objectives. Investigation of selected parameters of platelet activity and fibrinolysis in patients with pollen allergy suffering from seasonal allergic rhinitis and concomitant asthma symptoms during a period of natural pollens exposure. Material and Methods. Plasma level of platelet factor 4 (PF−4), a marker of in vivo platelet release reaction and D−dimer, an index of active fibrinolysis was measured in 16 patients sensitized to grass and rye pollens (10 men and 6 women, 18 to 25 years old) who had seasonal allergic rhinitis and concomitant symptomatic moderate asth− ma, only during the pollen season and 29 healthy nonatopic subjects (21 men and 8 women, 19 to 25 years old) by using enzyme−linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) kits. Results. Increase in plasma level of PF−4 occurred in 6 (37.5%) of all patients with seasonal allergic rhinitis and concomitant asthma. Normal plasma level of PF−4 was recorded in 10 (62.5%) out of 16 patients examined. Plasma PF−4 was significantly increased in the patient group compared as a whole to the control subjects (p < 0.01). Plasma D−dimer level was similar in the two groups. Conclusions. Increased plasma level of platelet activation markers may occur in some patients with pollen allergy suffering from seasonal allergic rhinitis and concomitant moderate asthma symptoms. Moreover, in the present small study the authors did not observe higher fibrinolytic activities as expressed by D−dimer level in the patients as compared with nonatopic controls (Adv Clin Exp Med 2006, 15, 1, 23–28).