F1+2, VEGF, D-Dimer Levels Up in Nonallergic Asthma

WEDNESDAY, Sept. 21 (HealthDay News) -- Patients with nonallergic asthma exhibit autoreactivity as well as increased levels of coagulation and angiogenesis markers, according to a study published in the October issue of Allergy.

Riccardo Asero, M.D., from the Ambulatorio di Allergologia in Milano, Italy, and colleagues investigated autoreactivity, activation of the coagulation cascade, and expression of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in 21 adults with nonallergic asthma who underwent autologous plasma skin test (APST). Plasma levels of the prothrombin fragment F1+2, D-dimer, VEGF, and the inflammatory marker C-reactive protein (CRP) were measured. The participants were gender- and age-matched with 21 healthy controls.

The investigators found positive APST scores in 90 percent (19/21) of the patients and 0 percent of the controls. When compared to the controls, patients with nonallergic asthma had significantly higher plasma levels of fragment F1+2 (267 versus 150 pM), D-dimer (2,364 versus 1,301 pM), and VEGF (1,721 versus 76 pM). Patients with more severe disease according to the GINA classification of asthma severity showed a trend toward higher F1+2, D-dimer, VEGF, and CRP levels.

"Nonallergic asthma is characterized by autoreactivity, as well as increased coagulation and angiogenesis markers, which are known to enhance vascular permeability," the authors write.

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