Acute Phase Proteins Flashcards
What is meant by the acute phase response?
Term attributed to a group of systemic and metabolic changes that occur within hours of an inflammatory stimulus.
Where are many acute phase proteins are biomarkers for inflammation, what organ produces them?
Liver.
What a happens to the level of serum amyloid A, haptoglobin, C-reactive protein, fibrinogen and complements following inflammation?
They all rise.
What happens to the level of albumin and transferrin following inflammation?
They decrease.
What is the function of the C-reactive protein?
It removes toxic substances released from damaged tissues.
Do you get higher values of serum amyloid A in response to viral infection or bacterial infection?
Bacterial infection.
What happens to the level of procalcitonin following inflammation, and what is it used for?
It rises. It’s used to differentiate between infectious and non-infectious causes.
What do the acute phase proteins: serum amyloid A, haptoglobin, C-reactive protein, fibrinogen, complements, albumin and transferrin all have in common?
All produced by liver.
What is procalcitonin the precursor for?
Calcitonin.
What does calcitonin do?
It reverses the parathyroid hormone, by stimulating the bone cells to absorb more calcium, thereby decreasing serum calcium levels.
Are high levels of procalcitonin more common in a bacterial or viral infection?
Bacterial infection.
Elevated levels of creatinine suggest…
Acute renal injury.
Lactic acid > 4mmol/L suggest…
Hypoxia.
Elevated liver enzymes: elevated alkaline phosphatase, AST, ALT and bilirubin levels suggest…
Acute hepatocellular injury caused by hypoperfusion.
What does Protein C deficiency, antithrombin deficiency, elevated D-dimer level, prolonged Prothrombin Time (PT) and Partial Thromboplastin Time (PTT) all suggest?
Organ failure, without frank bleeding.
When would a high platelet count be seen (thrombocytosis)?
Acute phase response.
When would a low platelet count be seen (thrombocytopenia)?
Disseminated Intravacular Coagulation (DIC).
What conditions can cause endotoxemia (high levels of endotoxins in blood - found on exterior wall of gram negative bacteria), and therefore cause leukopenia (low white cell count)?
Inflammatory bowel disease - Ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease.
What is Disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC)?
It’s a condition in which blood clots form throughout the body, blocking small blood vessels. This depletes platelet levels available to clot blood, resulting in excessive bleeding and thrombocytopenia.
