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Relevance of plasma D-dimer measurement in patients with acute peripheral vertigo

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  08 March 2006

Bruno Fattori
Affiliation:
Department of Neurosciences, ENT Unit, University of Pisa, Italy.
Francesco Ursino
Affiliation:
Department of Neurosciences, ENT Unit, University of Pisa, Italy.
Renza Cristofani
Affiliation:
Department of Experimental Pathology, Medical Biotechnology, Infective Diseases and Epidemiology, University of Pisa, Italy.
Fabio Galetta
Affiliation:
Department of Internal Medicine, University of Pisa, Italy.
Andrea Nacci
Affiliation:
Department of Neurosciences, ENT Unit, University of Pisa, Italy.

Abstract

The aetiopathogenesis of acute unilateral peripheral vestibular dysfunction (APV), also known as vestibular neuritis, is still debated: the principal cause is viral infection with vascular factors second in importance.

Plasmatic D-dimer, considered a plasmatic index of hypercoagulation, was measured in a group of 45 APV patients and in a group of 25 patients suffering from Ménière’s disease. Measurements were taken both during the acute stage and after a four to six week period of pharmacological washout. The mean D-dimer levels were significantly higher than those measured in the controls both during the acute phase (301 SD161 vs 202 SD113 ng/mL) and after follow up (304 SD211 vs 192 SD111 ng/mL) (p = 0.008). Moreover, during the acute stage 23 of the APV patients (51.1 per cent) had plasmatic D-dimer levels above the upper normal limit (i.e.: <300 ng/mL), compared to four of those with Ménière’s disease (16 per cent).

Our results lead us to postulate an involvement of the haemostatic system in APV.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
© Royal Society of Medicine Press Limited 2003

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