Department of Anatomy, School of Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Pretoria, BMW Building, PO Box 2034, Pretoria, 0001, South Africa.
Rheumatol Int. 2012 Jun;32(6):1611-5. doi: 10.1007/s00296-011-1805-2. Epub 2011 Feb 18.
Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic inflammatory condition that affects mainly synovial joints and has an impact on approximately 1% of the Western population. The coagulation process is altered in this condition, and this is frequently complicated by thrombocytosis. Changes in fibrin morphology have been linked with inflammation, and this, in turn, plays an important role in thrombosis. Changes in the fibrin fiber formation cause the alterations observed in thrombus morphology. In the current study, the ultrastructure of platelets and fibrin networks was investigated to determine whether any morphological changes are present in these structures in patients suffering from rheumatoid arthritis. Six patients diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis took part in this study, and their clot morphology was compared to that of control subjects. Citrated blood with and without the addition of thrombin was used. Results indicated that the fibrin networks in the arthritis patients formed thick, matted layers. This matted appearance is due to a changed ultrastructure of the minor, thin fibers. Also, in these patients, spontaneous networks were created without the addition of thrombin, which indicates an abnormal hemostatic protein functioning, and the latter is expressed as visible changes in ultrastructure.
类风湿关节炎是一种慢性炎症性疾病，主要影响滑膜关节，约影响西方人群的 1%。在这种情况下，凝血过程会发生改变，并且经常伴有血小板增多症。纤维蛋白形态的变化与炎症有关，而炎症反过来在血栓形成中起着重要作用。纤维蛋白纤维形成的变化导致血栓形态观察到的变化。在本研究中，研究了血小板和纤维蛋白网络的超微结构，以确定患有类风湿关节炎的患者这些结构中是否存在任何形态变化。六名被诊断患有类风湿关节炎的患者参加了这项研究，并将他们的凝块形态与对照组进行了比较。使用了添加和不添加凝血酶的柠檬酸血液。结果表明，关节炎患者的纤维蛋白网络形成了厚厚的、交织的层。这种交织的外观是由于较小的、细纤维的超微结构发生了变化。此外，在这些患者中，即使没有添加凝血酶也会自发形成网络，这表明止血蛋白的功能异常，后者表现为超微结构的可见变化。
