Unusual thrombosis and thrombophilia: A difficult problem to approach. Experience of four years

Abstract

There are vascular territories called unusual sites which may present thrombotic events: venous sinuses, upper limbs and splanchnic bed, with clinical consequences that can be catastrophic. Knowledge gaps are found in the study of the factors involved in these entities. Objective: To describe the frequency of thrombophilia in patients who consult to the Hematology Service of San Jose Hospital due to thrombosis in unusual sites between January 2007 and December 2011. We describe the population in terms of demographics, gender, age, recurrence, treatments used and associated complications. Methods: A case series descriptive study. We included the medical records of patients older than 18 years with first thrombotic event compromising a vascular unusual site, attending the outpatient hematology service during the study period. Data were extracted retrospectively from medical records. Results: 73 patients entered the study; most were women (65.8%). Localization of thrombosis was: venous sinuses (47.9%), upper limb (27.4%), splanchnic bed (24.0%). The most frequent risk factors were: pregnancy (12.5%), use of oral contraceptives (10.4%), smoking (9.6%), postpartum (4.2%). Thrombophilia was found in 57% of patients with thrombosis in unusual sites. The most frequent diagnosis was antiphospholipid syndrome. Conclusions: There is a high frequency of thrombophilia in patients with thrombosis in unusual site, being antiphospholipid syndrome the most common cause in our series