CLOT DENSITY METHOD OF FIBRINOGEN DETERMINATION IN SOME PEDIATRIC CONDITIONS

[摘要] The clot density, a method of rapid fibrinogen determination, was studied serially in a group of children and compared simultaneously with the corrected sedimentation rate.In normal children the clot density showed no deviation from the normal levels which range from 5 to 15, while the sedimentation rate displayed many erratic fluctuations.In such conditions as upper and lower respiratory infections or urinary tract infections, the clot density rose slightly and subsided promptly under therapy while the sedimentation rate frequently showed maximum elevations.In acute rheumatic disease, there was constant and close correlation between the degree of clinical manifestations and the clot density. The sedimentation rate, however, frequently did not correspond with the intensity of the inflammatory process.In rheumatic children treated with cortisone, the clot density is the first indication of a thrapeutic effect. Moreover, with the cessation of cortisone administration and the worsening of clinical symptoms as well as laboratory data, the decline of the clot density is the first indication of a "rebound" rather than an exacerbation.The clot density may be an aid in the differentiation of fever of central origin.Cortisone seems to he devoid of a direct nonspecific effect upon the fibrinogen concentration.

[学科分类] 儿科学