Fibrinogen Degradation Product (FDP)

Your doctor may order the FDP test if you show symptoms associated with any blood clot-dissolving disorders like acute occlusive vascular disease or disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC). Since the presence of FDPs in the blood is an indicator of a recent clot formation, the test would help to check that all the proteins of the clot-forming cascade are working properly. 

Symptoms of acute occlusive vascular disease include:

• Pallor
• Pain
• Inability to maintain core body temperature
• Stinging sensation in the body
• Paralysis

Symptoms of DIC include:

• Bruising
• Blood clots
• Shortness of breath
• Bleeding from different sites of the body
• Confusion
• Change in behaviour
• Memory loss
• Fever
• Drop in the blood pressure

Usually, an FDP test does not require any special preparation. Discuss with your doctor about all the medicines that you are taking, as some medicines are known to interfere with the test results. For instance, barbiturates can lead to higher-than-normal test results. Your doctor may ask you to modulate the course of a few medicines or stop them completely for a short period. These medicines may include the following blood thinners: 

• Urokinase
• Aspirin
• Streptokinase
• Heparin

Do not stop or change the course of any medicine on your own. Speak to your doctor first and follow their instructions.

A technician or nurse will collect a small amount of blood from a vein in your arm using a clean and sterilised needle - you might feel slight pain as the needle goes in. The blood will be transferred to a container and sent to the laboratory for testing. 

After the test, some people experience temporary throbbing or bruising at the needle insertion site.

Normal results:

Normal results for an FDP test can vary from one laboratory to the other as most labs have their own standards and procedures.

Usually, the results are reported as normal when the values are less than 10 µg/mL (for serum sample) or less than 5 µg/mL (for plasma sample). 

Abnormal results:

If the values reported in the test are above the normal range, they are considered abnormal. The following could be the reasons for higher values:

• Infections
• Liver diseases or kidney disease
• Recent blood transfusion
• Blood clotting problems
• Low oxygen levels in the blood
• Recently undergone a surgery involving the heart and lung bypass pump
• Pregnancy-related issues such as pre-eclampsia, miscarriage and placental abruption (detachment of the placenta before the delivery of the baby)
• undergone surgery to lower the blood pressure in the liver
• DIC
• Myocardial infarction or heart attack
• Rejection of transplant
• Burns on the body
• Reaction to transfusion
• Heat stroke
• Acute leukaemia
• Sepsis
• Pulmonary embolism (loading of a clot in the arteries that supply blood to the lungs)
• Venous thrombosis (blood clot in the vein)
• Congenital heart disorder (problems associated with the heart structure by birth)

Consult your doctor to understand what the results exactly mean for you. Your doctor might order further tests to diagnose the underlying condition in case of abnormal results.

Disclaimer: All results must be clinically correlated with the patient’s complaints to make a complete and accurate diagnosis. The above information is provided from a purely educational point of view and is in no way a substitute for medical advice by a qualified doctor.