Activation of coagulation and fibrinolysis during dengue virus infection

Abstract

Dengue virus infection can induce mild dengue fever (DF) or severe dengue hemorrhagic fever and dengue shock syndrome (DHF/DSS) in human. The pathogenesis of hemorrhage in dengue virus infection is not fully understood. Since hemostasis depends on the balance between coagulation and fibrinolysis, alternation of some coagulation parameters (platelet count and activated partial thromoboplastin time, APTT) as well as fibrinolytic parameters (tissue plasminogen activator, tPA and plasminogen activator inhibitor-1, PAI-1) were compared in 8 DHF/DSS and 17 DF patients. Patients showed thrombocytopenia, APTT prolongation, and tPA increase in the acute stage of disease, indicating activation of coagulation and fibrinolysis. The activation of coagulation and fibrinolysis in DHF/DSS patients was much more severe than DF patients. In the convalescent stage, a rise of PAI-1 level and platelet count with concomitant decline of tPA level and APTT returned to normal in both DHF/DSS and DF patients. Therefore, the activation of coagulation and fibrinolysis during the acute stage of dengue virus infection is offset by the increase of platelet and PAI-1 during convalescent stage. Taken together, these results suggest that the degree of coagulation and fibrinolysis activation induced by dengue virus infection is associated with the disease severity.