Plasma factor VII and thrombin–antithrombin III levels indicate increased tissue factor activity in sickle cell patients

Although the mechanisms involved in the persistent clinical complications of sickle cell disease have not yet been fully delineated, previous studies suggest that sickle cell (HbSS) patients have a disposition to generate more thrombin and plasma in vivo than normal subjects. The reasons for the impaired regulation of haemostasis in HbSS patients is poorly understood. We report studies evaluating the extent to which in vivo coagulation and …