title: Thromboembolic complications in beta thalassemia major.
abstract: 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.
authors.affiliation: Department of Hematology, Hadassah University Hospital, Jerusalem, Israel.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Michaeli
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mittelman
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Grisaru
authors.forename: E A
authors.initials: EA
authors.lastname: Rachmilewitz
mesh_terms: 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