Enhanced processing of von Willebrand factor reflects disease severity and discriminates severe portal hypertension in cirrhosis

Objectives Portal hypertension in cirrhosis is associated with endothelial dysfunction, impaired wound healing, and decreased platelet count. Increased von Willebrand factor (VWF) formation has been suggested as a compensatory mechanism, but the role of VWF processing has not been directly assessed. The aim was to measure the processing of activated VWF (VWF-A) in addition to VWF release (VWF-N) to investigate the association of primary hemostasis with disease activity and portal hypertension in liver cirrhosis. Participants and methods Plasma samples from 105 participants undergoing liver vein catheterization and with liver cirrhosis of varying severity were included in the study together with 20 controls without liver disease. Competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay format was used to estimate biomarkers of VWF turnover using neo-epitope-specific monoclonal antibodies. Results VWF-N levels and VWF-A levels were significantly elevated in cirrhotic patients compared with controls (P
Source: European Journal of Gastroenterology and Hepatology - Category: Gastroenterology Tags: Original Articles: Hepatology Source Type: research