A study on thrombophilic factors in Italian Behcet's patients.
BACKGROUND
Behcet's disease (BD) may complicate with arterial and venous thrombosis. The purpose of this work is to evaluate in an Italian group of BD patients with thrombotic events a large panel of inherited and acquired thrombophilic factors.


METHODS
Thirty BD patients, of which nine with previously arterial or venous thrombosis and 21 without, underwent the following investigations: plasma antithrombin activity, protein C activity, free protein S level, sensitivity to APC, total plasma homocysteine concentration, serum folate level, determination of anti-phospholipid antibodies, serum Lp(a) levels, tests for gene polymorphisms of factor V Leiden, prothrombin and methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase genes. Tests for the gene polymorphisms were also performed in a group of healthy control subjects.


RESULTS
All the six patients with arterial or deep venous thrombosis showed thrombophilic conditions such as protein C or protein S deficiency (one case each), hyperhomocysteinemia (two cases), positivity of anti-phospholipid antibodies associated with APC resistance or hyperhomocysteinemia (one case each). Among three subjects with superficial thrombophlebitis only one showed a mild hyperhomocysteinemia. No differences were found between BD patients and control subjects concerning polymorphisms of the genes considered. Among BD patients the Factor V H1299R mutation showed a weak association with venous thrombosis (P=0.048).


CONCLUSIONS
In BD patients different concomitant significant thrombophilic risk factors may contribute to the development of thrombotic events. Patients affected by vasculo-Behcet should be evaluated for the presence of coexisting major thrombophilic conditions.
Caramaschi
Paola
P
Dipartimento di Medicina Clinica Sperimentale, Policlinico G.B. Rossi, Piazzale Scuro, 37134 Verona, Italy. paola.caramaschi@azosp.vr.it
Poli
Giovanni
G
Bonora
Adriana
A
Volpe
Alessandro
A
Tinazzi
Ilaria
I
Pieropan
Sara
S
Bambara
Lisa M
LM
Biasi
Domenico
D
D000328:Adult; D017152:Antibodies, Antiphospholipid / Q000097:blood; D000991:Antithrombins / Q000378:metabolism; D001528:Behcet Syndrome / Q000097:blood* / Q000150:complications* / Q000208:ethnology; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D005165:Factor V / Q000235:genetics; D005260:Female; D005492:Folic Acid / Q000097:blood; D006710:Homocysteine / Q000097:blood; D006801:Humans; D007558:Italy; D008297:Male; D042965:Methylenetetrahydrofolate Reductase (NADPH2) / Q000235:genetics; D011110:Polymorphism, Genetic / Q000235:genetics; D011486:Protein C / Q000378:metabolism; D011516:Prothrombin / Q000235:genetics; D018110:Receptors, Lipoprotein / Q000097:blood; D012307:Risk Factors; D013927:Thrombosis / Q000097:blood* / Q000208:ethnology / Q000209:etiology*
D017152:Antibodies, Antiphospholipid; D000991:Antithrombins; D011486:Protein C; D018110:Receptors, Lipoprotein; C095381:factor V Leiden; C098070:lipoprotein A receptor; D006710:Homocysteine; D005165:Factor V; D011516:Prothrombin; D005492:Folic Acid; D042965:Methylenetetrahydrofolate Reductase (NADPH2)