Coagulation abnormalities in liver disease.

The decreased capacity of the liver to synthesize proteins is the main cause of decreased blood levels of clotting factors II, V, VII, IX, X and of antithrombin III in patients with liver disease. Therefore, determination of the activity or concentration of these coagulation proteins is a useful test of liver function and guide to prognosis, provided that other mechanisms which may influence the blood level are carefully considered. Clotting factor assays have an only limited value for the differential diagnosis in liver disease.