Plasminogen activity

Plasminogen is the zymogen precursor of the enzyme plasmin, which functions to degrade fibrin clots once bleeding has been arrested and wound healing has occurred. Deficiency of plasminogen, which can be quantitative or qualitative, can theoretically result in persistence and growth of clots and increase the risk of venous thromboembolic disease. Current opinion is that isolated plasminogen deficiency may not itself be a hypercoagulable condition although it may contribute if other risk factors are present.

Another crucial physiological role for plasminogen is as an integral component of wound healing. Patients with plasminogen deficiency have a marked reduction in wound healing ability, which is most pronounced in mucous membranes such as the conjuctiva. This leads to development of pseudo membranes on mucosal surfaces, and ultimately, organ damage. The most common presentation is ligneous conjuctivitis, other affected areas can be mouth, larynx, vocal cords, ear, tracheobronchial tree and female genitourinary tract.