Oral lesions indicative of plasminogen deficiency (hypoplasminogenemia).

BACKGROUND

Gingival overgrowth with ulceration has recently been recorded in 4 reports: (1) our report of a British patient with ligneous conjunctivitis in whom the gingival lesions appeared to be related to tranexamic acid-an antifibrinolytic agent; (2) a report of 2 Turkish patients and an Italian patient with mainly gingival lesions; (3) our report of 5 Turkish patients with mainly gingival lesions; and (4) a report of 3 new Turkish cases, which also were associated with gingival lesions and alveolar bone loss. These patients all had gingival swellings, and a minority had conjunctival involvement similar to ligneous conjunctivitis, although the etiology was unclear in all. Nevertheless, fibrin exudation was fundamental because the hyaline or amyloidaceous material seen on the gingival biopsy stained for fibrin but failed to stain for amyloid.

METHODS

We have examined 6 more patients who exhibited gingival swelling caused by amyloidaceous deposits that stained only for fibrin, and we assayed their plasminogen levels.

RESULTS

The plasminogen functional activity assayed in these 6 additional patients, and in 2 of the 5 patients previously reported by us, was significantly reduced.

CONCLUSIONS

Gingival overgrowth with ulceration appears to be a new complication caused by plasminogen deficiency; it also appears to be related to ligneous conjunctivitis in some cases.