Incidence of anti-heparin/platelet factor 4 antibodies and heparin-induced thrombocytopenia in medical patients.
OBJECTIVE
Heparin-induced thrombocytopenia (HIT) is a life threatening complication of heparin therapy, causing thrombosis. The aim of our study was to find out the frequencies of HIT antibody seroconversion and clinical HIT in Turkish medical patients on different forms of heparins.


METHODS
Our study included 61 patients who were on unfractionated heparin (UFH) (n: 37) and low molecular weight heparin (LMWH) (n: 24) therapies. The frequency of HIT antibody formation was determined by means of antigenic (ELISA), and functional assays (serotonin release assay-SRA).


RESULTS
The seroconversion rates in UFH and LMWH groups were found to be 18.9% and 4.1% (ELISA), and 8.1% and 4.1% (SRA), respectively. One patient (2.1%) on UFH therapy developed deep vein thrombosis. No thromboembolic event was observed in patients taking LMWH.


CONCLUSIONS
Seroconversion rates by means of antigenic and functional assays and clinical HIT were more common in patients on UFH than patients on LMWH therapy.
Trakya University, School of Medicine, Division of Hematology, 22030 Edirne, Turkey, Phone: +90 284 235 76 42 - +90 284 235 10 41 E-mail: muzaffer@tnn.net.
Muzaffer
M
Demir
Emre
E
Tekgündüz
Mustafa
M
Edis
Enver
E
Duran
Turan
T
Kürüm
Ömer
Ö
Yiğitbaşı
Mahmut
M
Yüksel