Blood clotting is an important process that prevents losing too much blood when someone is injured. D-dimer is the test that helps to rule out the possibility of a serious blood clot. When someone gets a cut, the body reacts in some phases to heal up the cut and to get healed. After the clotting process, there is always some leftover which is present in the blood. It is a form of protein and is called a D-dimer.
What is D-dimer?
The D-dimer is a by-product of the blood clotting and break-down process that can be measured via analysis of a blood sample. D-dimer is a form of protein fragment when a blood clot dissolves in one’s body.
When is someone need a D-dimer test?
There are some symptoms related to blood clotting disorders such as Pulmonary Embolism (PE) and Deep vein Thrombosis (DVT).
Symptoms of PE:
- Chest Pain
- Berating Trouble
- apid Heartbeat
- Cough
Symptoms of DVT:
- Leg Swelling
- Tenderness or leg pain
- Redness on the legs
Symptoms of DIC:
- Sever muscle pain
- Seizures
- Vomiting or Nausea
Why is D-dimer testing necessary?
A D-dimer test is necessary as it helps to check whether someone has a blood clotting condition or not. D-dimer is usually undetectable or detectable only when one’s body forms and breaks down a significant amount of blood clots.
D-dimer is used to cure many disorders, some of them are as follows;
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- Pulmonary embolism (PE): Pulmonary embolism is a sudden blockage in a lung artery. It usually happens when a blood clot in another part of the body is loose and the blood flows to the lungs. Deep vein thrombosis is another disease that is a common cause of PE.
- Disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC): It is a condition that can cause too many blood clots which cause serious damage to organs. This can also lead to some serious body damage and sometimes to cancer.
- Deep vein thrombosis (DVT): It is a form of disease that forms in a deep vein in the body. It usually affects the lower legs but it can also affect the other parts of the body including the arms, brain, intestine, liver, or kidney.
What do the results of D-dimer mean?
After the D-dimer test, if the test results show a normal or low level of D-dimer in someone’s blood then that patient does not have a clotting disorder. If the test shows that the patient has a higher level of D-dimer than the normal level, then that patient may have a blood clotting disease but it does not show the exact part of the body, where the actual clotting is happening.
The main reason for D-dimer level change may not be just the blood clotting, it can also happen because of recent surgery, pregnancy, and heart disease.
Blood testing is one of the crucial processes in the D-dimer test and global companies are introducing advanced technologies in the medical sector, especially in blood screening and single blood drop analysis which aids in opening new pathways for the D-dimer test in the coming years.
Market Insights
The global D-dimer testing market size was USD 1.30 Bn in 2022 and is likely to reach USD 1.85 Bn by 2031, expanding at a CAGR of 4.60% during 2023–2031. The market growth is attributed to the rising demand for advanced point-of-care testing, and increased incidence rate of respiratory and cardiovascular diseases.
The increasing prevalence of pathophysiological conditions such as various cardiovascular disorders, acute pulmonary syndromes, arterial or venous thromboembolism, cardiac arrhythmias, and acute pancreatitis is a key driver for the rising demand for testing.
The new developments in testing such as peptides in target receptors lessen the use of antibodies in elevated D dimer testing. Moreover, the aptamers help increase the shelf life of antibodies which can create new opportunities for the use of D-dimer testing for better diagnostics in the coming years.
Global companies coming up with advanced technologies in the medical sector are F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd; Abbott.; Siemens Healthcare GmbH; Bio-Rad Laboratories, Inc.; Laboratory Corporation of America® Holdings.; ARUP Laboratories.; Diazyme Laboratories, Inc.; BIOMÉRIEUX; Sekisui Diagnostics; BioMedica Diagnostics; BD.; Helena Laboratories; and Quidel Corporation.