A Study on the Antithrombotic Effect of Danazol

Abstract

In order to evaluate the antithrombotic effect of Danazol, we investigated serial changes in plasma levels of the blood coagulation, fibrinolysis and platelet factors in 4 patients with endometriosis, and we tried a long-term Danazol treatment in a patient with chronic consumption coagulopathy associated with dissecting aortic aneurysm.Clear increases in plasma levels of the regulatory factors for blood coagulation system including antithrombin III (AT III), heparin cofactor II (HC II), protein C (PC) and free protein S (PS) were observed in response to Danazol. Of the promoting factors for blood coagulation system, both factor II and X levels were significantly increased, while fibrinogen decreased significantly. Only plasminogen levels were significantly increased in the fibrinolytic factors including tissue-type plasminogen activator, α2-plasmin inhibitor and plasminogen activator inhibitor 1. No consistent alterations were observed in the platelet factors including platelet counts, ADP-induced platelet aggregability, von Willebrand factor and thromboxane B2 production.Plasma levels of FDP, fibrinopeptide A, fibrinopeptide Bβ15-42 and β-thromboglobulin were gradually decreased, and gradual increases of platelet counts were seen without any thrombo-hemorrhagic phenomena in a patient with chronic consumption coagulopathy during Danazol administration.These results imply that Danazol has a distinct anticoagulant effect chiefly by increasing plasma levels of the potent regulatory factors for blood coagulation system such as AT III, HC II, PC and PS, and would provide a useful adjunct to anticoagulant treatment in congenital deficiency of each regulatory factor for blood coagulation system, plasminogen deficiency and chronic consumption coagulopathy.