Abstract
［Introduction］
The values of serum D-dimer (DD) in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) were reported to be relatively high in several studies. We analyzed the distribution of the values of serum DD and the relationship between the values of DD and the presence of deep-vein thrombosis (DVT).
［Materials and Methods］
The serum DD was measured in 106 cases (RA 47 cases, non-RA 59 cases). For cases in which DD values were above 1.0 (μg/ml), we performed additional venography or Doppler ultrasonography to find DVT.
［Result］
We found 11 cases of DVT (RA 8 cases, non-RA 3 cases). The incidence rates of DVT in the cases of RA and non-RA were 17%, 5% respectively (P＜0.05). In cases of RA, the values of DD in DVT-positive and DVT-negative cases were 7.8 and 3.4 respectively (P＜0.05). Positive correlation was found in the relationship between CRP and DD values in RA (P＜0.05). When a DD of 2.6 (μg/ml) was decided upon as the cutoff value for DVT, receiver-operatingcharacteristic (ROC) analysis revealed 75% sensitivity and 59% specificity.
［Conclusions］
The result shows that the DD values are useful as a screening test to find DVT for RA patients. If a DD value of more than 2.6 is detected, ROC analyses indicate that additional examination should be performed to find DVT and furthermore to prevent pulmonary embolism.
