The significance of examining D-dimer in diagnosis and therapy of acute leukemia complicated with disseminated intravascular coagulation.

Objective To demonstrate the value of D-dimer(D-D) measurement in diagnosis and therapy of acute leukemia(AL) complicated with disseminated intravascular coagulation(DIC).Methods Plasma samples from 20 normal control, 51 AL patients without DIC, 22 AL patients with suspected DIC and 16 AL patients with DIC were examined for D-D by using ELISA.Results The plasma D-D levels increased gradually from normal control, AL patients without DIC, AL patients with suspected DIC to AL patients with DIC. There were significant differences among these groups. The patients with high D-D levels among AL patients with suspected DIC were easier to suffer from DIC than those with low D-D levels. With correction of DIC,the plasma D-D levels of AL patients decreased significantly.Conclusion Plasma D-D level is not only a sensitive and specific index for diagnosis and early stagediagnosis for DIC caused by AL, but also a useful judging index for therapeutic effect of it.