HERMANN TEST CODE:
CPT CODE:
SPECIMEN REQUIREMENT: 5 mL blood (minimum 4.5 ml), blue top tube (sodium citrate), mixed well.
TEST AVAILABILITY: Sent out by Hermann Laboratory to Colorado Coagulation Reference Laboratory. Reporting time in less than 7 days.
METHODOLOGY: Chromogenic assay
CLINICAL UTILIZATION: Diagnosis of Alpha-2-Antiplasmin deficiency
REFERENCE RANGE: 80-120%
INTERPRETATION:
Alpha-2-Antiplasmin is a plasma glycoprotein which serves as a regulator of fibrinolysis in several ways: (a) It blocks the enzymatic activity of plasmin, (b) It inhibits binding of plasminogen to fibrin, (c) It binds to fibrin with Factor XIII, making the clot more difficult to lyse by plasmin. A bleeding diathesis is associated with deficiency of Alpha-2-Antiplasmin, a rare disorder inherited in an autosomal recessive pattern. With rare exceptions, only homozygotes are clinically affected. These patients usually have an Alpha-2-Antiplasmin level of less than 10%.
A workup for Alpha-2-Antiplasmin deficiency is pursued in patients with a bleeding diathesis after other causes of bleeding have been ruled out using the more common tests such as Prothrombin Time (PT), activated Partial Thromboplastin Time (aPTT), Fibrinogen, Thrombin Time (TT), and Platelet Count. These screening tests are typically normal in patients with Alpha-2-Antiplasmin deficiency.
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