Plasma fibrinolytic activity in a group of hypogonadic men.

Fibrinolytic activity in response to venous occlusion (fibrin plate assay and tissue plasmogen activator antigen) was measured in 19 hypogonadic men (group 1), 23 non-hypogonadic men with deep venous thrombosis (DVT) antecedents and 20 healthy men (control group). Four hypogonadic men had DVT antecedents. Two of 20 controls were low responders against 6/19 and 6/23 in groups 1 and 2, respectively, (non-significant difference). The four hypogonadic men with DVT antecedent had abnormal response to venous occlusion. Whether defective fibrinolysis is causally related to hypogonadism cannot be established from these results but this study indicates that the combination of defective fibrinolysis, hypogonadism and DVT in man is relatively common.