High prevalence of combined thrombophilic abnormalities in patients with inflammatory bowel disease.
BACKGROUND
A hypercoagulable state has been recognized in patients with inflammatory bowel disease.


OBJECTIVE
The aim of this study was to determine the frequency of single and combined thrombophilic abnormalities in patients from northern Portugal with Crohn's disease or ulcerative colitis, without a history of thrombosis. METHODS A cross-sectional study involving 116 patients (42 with ulcerative colitis, 74 with Crohn's disease), and 141 randomly chosen asymptomatic blood donors was carried out. Prothrombotic variables and genetic abnormalities were assessed.


RESULTS
The prevalence of single prothrombotic abnormalities (only one alteration) in inflammatory bowel disease patients was higher than in the reference population (26% and 18%, respectively; P < 0.02). The allelic frequency of genetic polymorphisms was higher in Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis for MTHFR C677T, ACE Del and PAI-1 4G (P < 0.001) than in the reference population. The prevalence of combined thrombophilic abnormalities (at least two alterations) in both Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis was also higher (22% and 21%, respectively) than in the reference population (9%; P < 0.01). These differences were not related to age or gender; however, in Crohn's disease the frequency of two or more abnormalities was related to disease activity (odds ratio 3.0 [1.3-6.7]).


CONCLUSIONS
Higher prevalences of single and combined thrombophilic defects were found in inflammatory bowel disease patients, factors that could be involved in the disease pathogenesis.
Magro
Fernando
F
Department of Transfusion Medicine and Blood Bank, Hospital S João, Porto, Portugal. fm@med.up.pt
Dinis-Ribeiro
Mario
M
Araújo
Fernando M
FM
Pereira
Pedro
P
Fraga
Manuela C
MC
Cunha-Ribeiro
Luis M
LM
Tomé-Ribeiro
António
A
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D003093:Colitis, Ulcerative / Q000097:blood / Q000235:genetics*; D003424:Crohn Disease / Q000097:blood / Q000235:genetics*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005165:Factor V / Q000235:genetics; D005260:Female; D005787:Gene Frequency; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D042965:Methylenetetrahydrofolate Reductase (NADPH2) / Q000235:genetics; D008875:Middle Aged; D007703:Peptidyl-Dipeptidase A / Q000235:genetics; D017395:Plasminogen Activator Inhibitor 1 / Q000235:genetics; D011110:Polymorphism, Genetic; D011516:Prothrombin / Q000235:genetics; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D019851:Thrombophilia / Q000235:genetics*
D017395:Plasminogen Activator Inhibitor 1; C095381:factor V Leiden; D005165:Factor V; D011516:Prothrombin; D042965:Methylenetetrahydrofolate Reductase (NADPH2); D007703:Peptidyl-Dipeptidase A