Congenital plasminogen deficiency associated with venous thromboembolism: therapeutic trial with stanozolol.

We describe the case of a 34-year-old man with a history of venous thrombotic disease and demonstrate that his plasma plasminogen was reduced to about half-normal levels but was functionally intact. The deficiency was inherited as an autosomal trait and the propositus and his sister are heterozygotes. The propositus, but no other family member, had an associated deficiency of plasminogen activator activity, probably due to heightened plasminogen activator inhibition in his plasma. A therapeutic trial with the anabolic steroid stanozolol transiently normalized plasminogen and plasminogen activator levels.