Thrombin-activable fibrinolysis inhibitor levels in the acute phase of ischemic stroke

Background and Purpose-Thrombin-activable fibrinolysis inhibitor (TAFI) is a recently identified fibrinolysis inhibitor in plasma. The purpose of this work was to study TAFI levels in the acute phase of ischemic stroke and their relationship with stroke evolution. Methods-In 30 consecutive ischemic stroke patients, TAFI plasma levels were measured by means of enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (percentage of the pooled reference kit expressed as mean+/-SD) and compared with the values obtained in 30 healthy control subjects. All samples were drawn within the first 24 hours after symptom onset (mean, 4.6 hours) and before any treatment was started. Results-TAFI plasma concentration was significantly higher (P<0.001) in stroke patients (158.4+/-53.2%) than in healthy control subjects (105.6+/-30.2%). The highest TAFI levels were found in cases of neurological deterioration (worsening, 198.1+/-63.0%; stability, 130.5+/-39.3%; improvement, 173.9+/-52.0%; P=0.057). Conclusions-High levels of TAFI are found in the acute phase of ischemic stroke.