[New stream for the measurement of anti-platelet factor 4/heparin antibodies].

Heparin-induced thrombocytopenia (HIT) is a 'clinicopathologic syndrome'; therefore, its diagnosis depends on clinical criteria including the presence of thrombocytopenia and/or thrombosis and a pathological criterion implying the detectability of HIT antibodies. Recently, medical reimbursement (390 points) for assays of HIT antibodies using three new assay kits [HemosIL HIT-Ab(PF4-H), HemosIL AcuStar HIT IgG(PF4-H), HemosIL AcuStar HIT-Ab(PF4-H)] was approved in Japan. The HemosIL HIT-Ab(PF4-H) kit is a latex particle-enhanced immunoturbidimetric assay to detect total heparin-associated antibodies found in HIT patients. A monoclonal antibody that mimics human HIT antibodies is coated onto latex particles. HemosIL AcuStar HIT-IgG(PF4-H) (specific for IgG anti-PF4/heparin antibodies) and HemosIL AcuStar HIT Ab(PF4-H) (detecting IgG, IgM and IgA anti-PF4/heparin antibodies) are applicable to a fully automated quantitative chemiluminescent immnunoassay instrument 'ACL AcuStar'. HIT can be excluded in all patients by a negative antigen assay using HemosIL HIT-Ab(PF4-H) or HemosIL AcuStar HIT-Ab(PF4-H). Furthermore, in patients with previous HIT who require heparin treatment, pretesting by HemosIL HIT-Ab(PF4-H) or HemosIL AcuStar HIT-Ab(PF4-H) might be useful for preventing the onset of rapid-type HIT.