Anticoagulants and their use in medicine

Anticoagulants – anticoagulant is a substance that prevents the formation of blood clots in the bloodstream. They maintain blood in a fluid state and ensure its fluidity when the integrity of blood vessels. They are divided into natural and synthetic anticoagulants. First produced in the body, the second is produced artificially and used in medicine as drugs.

Natural

They can be physiological and pathological. Physiological anticoagulants is naturally present in the plasma. Pathological appear in the blood in certain diseases.

Physiological anticoagulants are divided into primary and secondary. Primary synthesized by the body and are constantly in the blood. The secondary are formed during the breakdown of clotting factors in the course of fibrin formation and its dissolution.

Primary natural anticoagulants

They are divided into groups:

1. Antithrombolytic.
2. Antitrombina.
3. Inhibitors of the process of self-Assembly of fibrin.

At decrease in the blood level of the primary physiological anticoagulants the risk of developing thrombosis.

This group of substances include:

• Heparin. It is a polysaccharide, which is synthesized in fat cells. In significant amounts in lung and liver. In large doses inhibits the blood coagulation process at all stages, inhibits several functions of platelets.
• Antithrombin III. Synthesized in the liver, refers to alpha-glycoprotein. Reduces the activity of thrombin and some activated clotting factors, but does not affect non-activated factors. Anticoagulant activity of the plasma of 75% is provided by the antithrombin III.
• C. the protein is Synthesized by cells of the liver parenchyma and in the blood is in an inactive form. Is the activity of thrombin.
• S. the protein is Synthesized by endothelial cells and the liver parenchyma (hepatocytes), depends on vitamin K.
• Alpha-macroglobulin.
• Antithrombolytic.
• Contact inhibitor.
• Lipid inhibitor.
• Inhibitor of complement-I.

Secondary physiological anticoagulants

As has been said, they are formed in the process of blood clotting and dissolution of fibrin clots in the splitting of some clotting factors, which lose due to the degradation of coagulation and anticoagulation purchase. These include:

• Antithrombin I.
• Antithrombin IX.
• Metafactory XIa and Va.
• Fibrinopeptide.
• Auto-II-a anticoagulant.
• Antithrombolytic.
• PDF – products formed during the breakdown (degradation) of the fibrin under the action of plasmin.

Pathological anticoagulants

In some diseases in the blood canto form and accumulate specific antibodies that prevent the clotting of blood. They can be generated against any of the coagulation factors, but most often are formed inhibitors of VIII and IX factors. In some autoimmune diseases blood appear abnormal proteins, which have antitrombinom action or inhibit the coagulation factors II, V, Xa.

Learn more about the pathological lupus anticoagulant can be found in this article.

Drugs anticoagulants

Artificial anticoagulants, which developed a large number are indispensable drugs in modern medicine.

Indications for use

Indications for oral anticoagulants are:

• myocardial infarction;
• infarcts of the lungs;
• heart failure;
• thrombophlebitis of leg veins;
• thrombosis of the veins and arteries;
• varicose veins;
• thrombotic strokes and embolic;
• the vascular lesions of embolic;
• chronic aneurysm;
• arrhythmia;
• artificial heart valves;
• prevention of atherosclerosis of brain vessels, heart, and peripheral arteries;
• mitral valvular heart disease;
• thromboembolism after childbirth;
• prevention of thrombosis after surgical interventions.