Last Updated on August 24, 2022
Normal Value
Causes of Increased D-Dimer
• Thromboembolism
• Sepsis (organ dysfunction → raised D-dimer)
etc.
Sensitivity / Specificity
Sensitivity
Sensitivity (in statistics) • Meaning: the proportion of people with the disease who have the sign (Example: test A has sensitivity of 80% — means performing test A will pick up 80% of the people with disease X)
• If a sensitive test is negative, it helps to rule out the disease
• Sensitivity: >95%
• Specificity: 61 – 64%
• Negative predictive values: 99%
Thus,
• Positive D-Dimer alone cannot diagnose
VTE
• Negative D-Dimer can exclude
VTE
Reference
- The
Sensitivity
and Specificity of a Red Blood Cell Agglutination D-Dimer Assay for Venous Thromboembolism When Performed on Venous Blood×Sensitivity
Sensitivity (in statistics)
• Meaning: the proportion of people with the disease who have the sign (Example: test A has sensitivity of 80% — means performing test A will pick up 80% of the people with disease X)
• If a sensitive test is negative, it helps to rule out the disease - D-dimer testing in the treatment and monitoring of septic patients