Patient education: D-dimer test (The Basics)

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What is a D-dimer test? —

This is a type of blood test. It measures the amount of a substance called "D-dimer" in the blood.

A high D-dimer level can be caused by:

●Certain blood clotting disorders

●Certain infections, such as COVID-19 or sepsis

●Surgery or severe injury

●Liver or kidney disease

●Certain disorders of the blood vessels

●Cancer

●Pregnancy

A high D-dimer level does not always mean you have a problem that needs treatment.

A low or normal D-dimer level can also give your doctor information about your health.

Why might I get a D-dimer test? —

The test is mainly used along with other information to figure out if a person has a blood clot.

Blood clots can happen with:

●Deep vein thrombosis ("DVT") – This is a blood clot in the deep veins of the leg. Sometimes, DVT happens in an arm instead of a leg. But this is much less common.

●Pulmonary embolism ("PE") – This is a blockage in 1 or more of the blood vessels that supply blood to the lung. Most often, these blockages are caused by blood clots that form somewhere else and then travel to the lungs.

●Disseminated intravascular coagulation ("DIC") – This is a condition that can cause too many blood clots to form. The blood clots can cause organ damage or other serious problems. DIC can also cause bleeding.

A D-dimer test is usually done at the same time as other tests.

What do my results mean? —

Your doctor or nurse will tell you when to expect your results, and will contact you with the results. Or if you use an online "patient portal," you might get an alert there when your results are ready.

●If your result is "negative," your D-dimer level is normal or low. This means you probably do not have a problem with blood clotting.

●If your result is "positive," your D-dimer level is high. Your doctor might need to do more tests to figure out the cause.

If you do have a health problem, your doctor will work with you to come up with a treatment plan.

More on this topic

Patient education: Deep vein thrombosis (blood clot in the leg) (The Basics)
Patient education: Pulmonary embolism (blood clot in the lung) (The Basics)
Patient education: Disseminated intravascular coagulation (The Basics)

Patient education: Deep vein thrombosis (DVT) (Beyond the Basics)
Patient education: Pulmonary embolism (Beyond the Basics)

This topic retrieved from UpToDate on: May 11, 2025.

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Patient education: D-dimer test (The Basics)