Check of hypercoagulable state in pregnancy and during oral contraception using Hepaplastintest

Abstract

The many coagulation factors increase during pregnancy, accordingly pregnant women often complicate thromboembolic episodes. The side effect of oral contraceptives such as thromboembolism and disorders of liver function have long been called attention, but the suitable and simple test to predict these side effects has not been known.Prothrombin time (PT) and Thrombotest (TT) are sensitive only at low coagulation activities. On the other hand, Hepaplastintest (HT) gives reliable results in the assay of hypercoagulable state, still more HT can be used as a liver function test.It is the purpose of this paper to clarify wether HT is available to assay the hypercoagulability during pregnancy and to check the side effects during the use of oral contraceptives.HT was studied in 41 non-pregnant, 40 pregnant (pregnancy VII th-X th month), and 90 sex-hormones administrated women. TT, PT, GOT and GPT were also examined. The results were following.1) HT mean value in normal non-pregnant women was 101.26±16.08%.2) HT mean value in pregnancy VII th month women was 131.40±14.8%, in VIIIth 142.50±13.87%, in IXth 143.66±7.10%, in Xth 158.07±4.15%. These high values could be measured by using non-diluted samples. None of these pregnant women complicated thromboembolic disease. Therefore the relation between these high values and an increasing tendency to thrombosis was not determined.3) HT, GOT and GPT was studied in 3 groups taking sex-hormones.: 7 women taking Mestranol (60γ/day×11 days), 41 women taking Norethisterone (15mg/day×5 days) and 42 women taking oral contraceptives (Anovlar 1 Tab/day×21 days). HT values elevated moderately during the use of sex-hormones and reduced after the ceasing. 10% women in each groups had high HT values above the normal non-pregnant women. None of them had thromboembolic disease.No correlation between the HT values and the GOT and GPT values could be seen. The GOT value elevated above 40 units in 4 cases and GPT in 8 cases, whose HT values were in normal range. HT could not be available to check the slight liver disorders during oral contraceptives.4) It was concluded that HT was useful for the assay of hypercoagulable state. The possible correlation between high HT values and an increased risk of thrombosis should be further investigated.