Thromboembolic complications in beta thalassemia major.
Thromboembolic complications in beta-thalassemia major have seldom been reported and their association with risk factors such as left ventricular failure and postsplenectomy thrombocytosis has remained speculative. In this report we describe 4 patients with unusual thromboembolic manifestations: recurrent arterial occlusion, recurrent pulmonary thromboembolism, venous thrombosis and a fatal cerebrovascular event. Although in all patients both risk factors were present, the precise causes for their thromboembolic complications were not identified. In 1 patient, however, a marked increase in hematocrit following blood transfusion resulted, in all likelihood, in a fatal cerebrovascular infarction. We suspect that these patients (constituting 4% of our beta-thalassemic group) represent a subset of those with high susceptibility to both arterial and venous thromboembolic complications.
Michaeli
J
J
Department of Hematology, Hadassah University Hospital, Jerusalem, Israel.
Mittelman
M
M
Grisaru
D
D
Rachmilewitz
E A
EA
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001157:Arterial Occlusive Diseases / Q000209:etiology; D002561:Cerebrovascular Disorders / Q000209:etiology; D004562:Electrocardiography; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011655:Pulmonary Embolism / Q000209:etiology; D013789:Thalassemia / Q000150:complications* / Q000503:physiopathology; D013923:Thromboembolism / Q000209:etiology*; D013924:Thrombophlebitis / Q000209:etiology