Elevated D Dimer post COVID infection and CLL - does elevated D Dimer mean poor chance of successful treatment?

[nuji]

Had covid 2 months ago. Tests showed only D-Dimer was elevated and other blood parameters like CRP, Ferritin were normal. It’s still elevated at 2000 range. Have been prescribed anti coagulants and aspirin. Could DDimer be elevated due to my CLL? Does having higher DDimer mean low chances of successful treatment? I’m 56, just diagnosed CLL stage 0 a week ago and am asymptomatic . Still am unable to digest the fact.

[cajunjeff]

Nooji, welcome to the forum. Hopefully you have read enough to know that Cll these days is treatable for most and that we can live normal lives (covid not included).

I am not a doctor, but I do read a lot of info about Cll available on the web. I have not seen Cll associated with the D dimer test and can’t see how that would impact Cll treatment. Of course there is a lot I don’t know about Cll, so maybe. My lay person educated guess would be there is no correlation between d dimer and Cll.

[nuji in reply to cajunjeff]

Thanx for your support Jeff

[Jm954 Administrator]

Hi Nooji,

This is quite complicated but I'll explain as best as I can.

Covid is a vascular infection as well as a respiratory one, as this post I did many months ago discusses: healthunlocked.com/cllsuppo...

Covid can cause lots of tiny clots throughout the blood vessels in the body and those clots are made up of fibrin strands which become filled with platelets and white cells. The body has a mechanism for removing clots in the body called fibrinolysis and this process produces small fragments of fibrin called d-dimers which is what the d-dimer test measures.

The aspirin and anticoagulants you have been prescribed are to prevent any further clots developing. The high d-dimer levels that you have (and higher in some people) are typical results from someone who has or recently had covid.

If you've looked up d-dimers on the internet, you will have seen that they are raised in inflammatory conditions and active cancer but, given that your other inflammatory markers, ferritin, CRP, are normal I do not think this result is related to your CLL.

I am not at all surprised that your d-dimer levels are still very high, given that you had covid only a relatively short time ago and I do not think that this result has any prognostic value for your CLL whatsoever but is a legacy of your covid that will resolve over time.

The main inflammatory marker used in CLL is the beta 2 micro globulin test which has been used for many years.

I hope this helps but if I haven't explained it very well or you still have questions please come back to us.

Jackie

[nuji in reply to Jm954]

Thanx a million Jackie. Puts my mind at ease

[Ghounds in reply to Jm954]

Thanks for this very clear explanation of what I suspect is complex science!