Fibrinolysis and factor XIII in women with spontaneous abortion

In the present study, parameters of the fibrinolytic system and factor XIII were determined in 26 women with spontaneous abortion and in 21 women with intact pregnancies to gain insight into the role of fibrinolysis in spontaneous abortion. Both groups of women did not significantly differ from each other in age or weeks of pregnancy. There were no differences in euglobulin lysis time (ELT), tissue plasminogen activator (t-PA) antigen, and plasminogen activator inhibitor type 1 (PAI-1) antigen between the study group and the control group. Factor XIII activity was significantly decreased in patients during abortion. In the present study, changes of fibrinolytic parameters measured in teh cubital vein blood of patients with abortion were not observed although local changes in fibrinolytic activity had been associated with spontaneous abortion. The pathophysiological role of the decrease in factor XIII activity observed in the present study remains to be elucidated.