Blood coagulation & fibrinolysis : an international journal in haemostasis and thrombosis
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Blood Coagul. Fibrinolysis · Jul 1996
DDAVP infusion in haemophilia A carriers: different behaviour of plasma factor VIII and von Willebrand factor.
1-desamino-8-D-arginine vasopressin (DDAVP) increases factor VIII (FVIII) and von Willebrand factor (vWF) levels in patients with haemophilia A and in some patients with von Willebrand disease. It is generally held that the increase of FVIII is a consequence of the increase of vWF. Carriers of haemophilia A generally, but not always, show plasma FVIII levels lower than vWF due to an abnormality in one of the two alleles of the FVIII gene. ⋯ These findings indicate that after DDAVP, FVIII increases less or for a shorter time than vWF, also in haemophilia A carriers who have a normal FVIII/vWF ratio. Hence, DDAVP may help identify haemophilia A carriers, especially subjects with normal or borderline ratios. Even though molecular biology procedures at present are the best and more reliable tools to identify the carrier state, DDAVP seems to improve the accuracy of haemostatic parameters.