Effect of physical exercise on blood clotting and fibrinolysis

¹ Department of Physiology, University of North Carolina, School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, North Carolina

The effect of strenuous exercise on the clotting and fibrinolytic systems was studied on 1 Hageman-deficient and 59 normal subjects (males aged 18–37 years). In the normal subjects there was a significant shortening of the whole-blood clotting time and of the partial thromboplastin time both in glass and in siliconized tubes. Plasma factor VIII (AHF or AHG) assays rose to 188% (average), but the specificity of the test is questioned. Factor XII (HF) increased to 318% (average) unequivocally. A postexercise increased heparin tolerance was also noted. There was no significant increase in the levels of fibrinogen, prothrombin, factor V (AcG), or factor VII (proconvertin) and factor X (Stuart). Fibrinolytic activity as measured by the euglobulin lysis and plasma plate methods increased significantly in most of the normal subjects. The data suggest that the fibrinolytic factor which increases after exercise is not active plasmin, but is related to the "activator" mechanisms. A plasma lysokinase (indirect activator) seems to preponderate in over half the cases. In 20% of cases a plasminoplastin (direct activator) may be involved. In the Hageman-deficient subject there was no improvement in clotting, and the slight changes in some of the fibrinolysis tests were nonsignificant.

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