Prothrombin time, the norm for adults is 11-15 seconds, and for children - 13-18 seconds, can increase, which becomes a sign of the presence of various kinds of diseases. This indicator is characteristic for I and II plasma homeostasis and is intended to reflect the activity of the prothrombin complex.
If prothrombin time begins to increase, this indicates a tendency to hypercoagulation. There may be several reasons for this:
· If the prothrombin complex is deficient in the development of such coagulopathies as hypoproconvertinemia and hypoprothrombinemia.
· Sometimes this indicator increases in the presence of amyloidosis, which is caused by a deficiency of factor X. In this case, it is absorbed by amyloid. If nephrotic syndrome develops, then factors VI and V are deficient.
Since the synthesis of elements of the prothrombin complex occurs in the liver, therefore, if it is unhealthy, their number is reduced. In some situations, prothrombin time is an indicator of the physiological state of a given organ.
An increase in this indicator is also observed in the presence of acute and chronic hepatitis, cirrhosis, as well as subject to the presence of subacute liver dystrophy and other lesions of the hepatic parenchyma. The fact is that these changes are a bad sign and indicate the development of a disease. If obstructive jaundice is diagnosed, prothrombin time may increase due to the fact that the amount of bile entering the intestine decreases, which leads to impaired absorption of vitamin K. It is he who takes an active part in the synthesis of the prothrombin complex.
Also among the reasons that cause an increase in this indicator are called enteropathy and intestinal dysbiosis, which lead to chronic vitamin K deficiency. If treatment is carried out with the help of antagonists of this vitamin, the final stage is violated in the synthesis of the main factors of the prothrombin complex. It is believed that the use of coagulants can continue if the prothrombin time is doubled.
There are many drugs that can increase the time frame of this indicator. Among them are laxatives, antibiotics, aspirin (subject to the use of a high dose), as well as quinine and anabolic steroids.
In general, with violations of the liver, the prothrombin time indicator tends to increase. Therefore, if you have any kind of disease of this kind, you need to control this indicator.
Sometimes situations arise in which the prothrombin time begins to decrease. This suggests that there is a tendency to hypercoagulation. Sometimes this occurs at the initial stage of venous thrombosis in the lower extremities, as well as polycythemia. Very often, the indicator can decrease in the last stages of pregnancy or after the use of certain medications, for example, acetylsalicylic acid (in small doses), mercaproturin and oral contraceptives.
When oral coagulant therapy is monitored, prothrombin time is regularly monitored. However, in such a situation, a change in the indicator can be caused by the thromboplastin used, which is necessary in this case. Therefore, it is very important to conduct studies after consuming various types of thromboplastins. This is considered one of the important tasks of practical medicine. The patient who is being monitored should be tested regularly after prescribing a new drug.