D-dimer concentration outliers are not rare in at-term pregnant women

Objectives: To determine the D-dimer levels in pregnant women at term and the differences between pregnant women with different D-dimer levels. Design and methods: The plasma D-dimer concentrations in pregnant women at term were identified in a cross-sectional study. The clinical indicators that are potentially relevant to D-dimer levels were compared between the pregnant women with different D-dimer levels (i. e., normal, mildly increased, and severely increased). Results: There were always some D-dimer concentration outliers in the pregnant women at term regardless of the presence or absence of complications, and there were no significant differences in maternal age, gestational age, gravidity, parity, blood count, blood coagulation, or liver function between the pregnant women with different D-dimer levels. Conclusions: D-dimer levels may vary significantly during pregnancy for unknown reasons. This variation, particularly in pregnant women at term, might lead to questionable diagnostic information regarding coagulation. (C) 2016 The Canadian Society of Clinical Chemists. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.