A quick note from Madan Verma: “Is there any thing such as a “vitamin agonist” and does it some how mimic factor VII deficiency? All these years I’ve read about vitamin Kantagonists (VKA) but not agonists. I came across this word while reviewing a factor VII assay done by a reference lab.”
Hello, Madan Verma, and thank you for your question. I can only conclude this is a typographical or word usage error that has crept into your reference laboratory’s narrative report. The term agonist refers to an activator such as a molecule that occupies an organelle receptor site and elicits a response. For instance, ADP occupies the platelet membrane P2Y12 receptor site and activates the platelet. You are correct about the vitamin K antagonist, which describes the action of Coumadin. You may wish to contact your reference lab and point out the report, all the reference laboratories I’m familiar with are scrupulous about the terminology used with their results. Geo
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