D-Dimer Human
Human plasma.
Sterile Filtered White lyophilized (freeze-dried) powder.
Greater than 90.0% as determined by SDS-PAGE.
Description
D-Dimer Human produced in Human Plasma is a specific degradation product of cross-linked fibrin and is used as a marker of hypercoagulation state that causes cardio-vascular diseases.
D-Dimer is purified by proprietary chromatographic technique.
Product Specs
Human plasma.
Product Science Overview
The formation of D-dimer occurs during the process of blood clot breakdown. When a blood vessel is injured, the body initiates a coagulation cascade to form a blood clot and stop the bleeding. This involves the conversion of fibrinogen, a soluble protein, into fibrin, an insoluble protein that forms a mesh to stabilize the clot. The enzyme thrombin plays a crucial role in this conversion. Another enzyme, factor XIII, cross-links the fibrin mesh, making it more stable .
Once the injury is healed, the body needs to remove the clot. This is done through fibrinolysis, where the enzyme plasmin breaks down the fibrin mesh into smaller fragments known as fibrin degradation products (FDPs). D-dimer is one of these FDPs, consisting of two D fragments from the original fibrinogen molecule .
D-dimer levels in the blood can be measured using a blood test. This test is particularly useful in diagnosing thrombotic disorders, such as deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and pulmonary embolism (PE). Elevated levels of D-dimer indicate that there has been significant clot formation and breakdown in the body, which can be a sign of these conditions .
However, a positive D-dimer test does not necessarily confirm the presence of a thrombotic disorder, as elevated levels can also be seen in other conditions such as inflammation, infection, liver disease, and cancer. Conversely, a negative D-dimer test can effectively rule out thrombotic disorders in patients with a low pre-test probability .
During the COVID-19 pandemic, D-dimer levels have been used as a predictive biomarker for the severity of the disease. Elevated D-dimer levels have been associated with a higher risk of severe outcomes and mortality in COVID-19 patients. This is because COVID-19 can cause widespread inflammation and coagulation abnormalities, leading to increased clot formation and breakdown .
