D DIMER TEST

D-Dimer Test

A D-dimer blood test is a simple test which measures D-dimer levels in your blood. D-dimer is basically a small protein that is formed when there is breakdown of blood clot in your body.

Whenever there is any injury to our body (tissue and blood vessels) clotting process is initiated to stop bleeding. This clot is also called as thrombus. Once the tissue is healed and this clot is not required it is broken down into certain products. One of these products is D-dimer

If there is a blood clotting disease (also called as thrombotic disorders) in your body, blood clots can easily form even without any triggering factor like injury and these clots don’t easily breakdown when they should. Hence these blood clots can be very dangerous and can even be life threatening.

In normal conditions D-dimer level is undetectable but if certain thrombotic disorders are present its level rises significantly.

Why is this test prescribed?

The D-dimer blood test is used to diagnose blood clotting disease such as

• Disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC)- it is a disorder where multiple blood clots form in the body in various organs and damage these organs.
• Deep vein thrombosis (DVT)-it is a condition in which blood clots in deep veins of the body mostly those of the legs.
• Pulmonary embolism (PE)-it is a condition in which blood clots block the artery in the lungs
• Stroke-it is a condition caused due to blockage of blood supply in brain because of blood clots

This test is also done to monitor treatment of the above mentioned conditions

What are components of this test?

This test is usually done if your health care provider is suspecting blood clotting disorders. If your blood level of D-dimer is low, it shows that it is very unlikely that thrombus is present in your body. But high levels of D-dimer require further investigation (like Doppler ultrasound, CT angiography etc), to find out the underlying condition, trigger factors and site of thrombus.

This test is also done along with prothrombin time, fibrinogen, and platelet count to diagnose disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC).

Procedure and prerequisites

The sample for D-dimer test is taken from blood (serum) by inserting a small needle into vein of your arm. A small amount of blood is then collected in test tube or vial. You may feel little pain due to needle prick. You may resume your daily activities once the bleeding stops from the collection site.

Reference range

The normal range is less than or equal to 500ng/ml