A longitudinal study of C3, C3d and factor Ba in burn patients in Hong Kong Chinese

A longitudinal study of serum C3, C3d and fragment Ba was carried out in 53 burn patients of Chinese origin whose total burn surface area ranged from 1 to 45%. Complement C3 was found to be activated on or before day 7 post-burn. The sharp increase in C3d suggested an acute inflammatory response. In addition factor Ba was increased in these patients, suggesting that the alternative pathway was also activated following thermal injuries. The fluctuations of C3, C3d and Factor Ba observed about 1 year after injury suggested chronic inflammation associated with long term of outcome of healing in the burn sites.