Studies on antithrombin in human blood

The thesis describes a study of the properties of antithrombin III of the blood serum and the possible relationship between an elevated level of antithrombin activity and the development of the hemorrhagic state in the hemophiliac. A study of antithrombin and antitrypsin levels in both normal and hemophilic serum confirmed, with a few exceptions, the existence of an elevated level of antithrombin activity in hemophilia. The study showed also that the addition of AHG to serum, or extraction of the serum with ether, reduced the antithrombin activity and the activity of an inhibitor in the thromboplastin generation test. The author devised a modification of the thromboplastin generation test suitable for the investigation of inhibitors in hemophilic serum and presents further evidence for the existence of such inhibitors. The investigation adds substantial further support to the role of inhibitors in the etiology of hemophilia