What is (are) Type 1 plasminogen deficiency ?
Type 1 plasminogen deficiency is a genetic condition associated with chronic lesions in the pseudomembrane (tough, thick material) of the mucosa of the eye, mouth, nasopharynx, trachea, and female genital tract; decreased serum plasminogen activity; and decreased plasminogen antigen level. The lesions may be triggered by local injury and/or infection and often recur after removal of the lesion; they are caused by the deposition of fibrin (a protein involved in blood clotting) and by inflammation. The most common clinical finding is ligenous ('wood-like') conjunctivitis, a condition marked by redness and subsequent formation of pseudomembranes of part of the eye that progresses to white, yellow-white or red thick masses with a wood-like consistency that replace the normal mucosa. Hydrocephalus may be present at birth in a small number of individuals.