A. Levine et al., ACTIVATED PROTEIN-C RESISTANCE IN PEDIATRIC INFLAMMATORY BOWEL-DISEASE, Journal of pediatric gastroenterology and nutrition, 26(2), 1998, pp. 172-174
Background: There is evidence for a hypercoagulable state in inflammat
ory bowel disease (LED), and small vessel thrombosis has been identifi
ed in the bowel of patients with Crohn's disease, suggesting thrombosi
s as a possible etiologic factor. Activated protein C (APC) resistance
is the most common inherited disorder leading to thrombosis and accou
nts for 30% to 40% of episodes of idiopathic venous thrombosis. Method
s: The prevalence of APC resistance was studied in 23 patients with IB
D (17 with Crohn's disease, 6 with ulcerative colitis) and in 11 contr
ol subjects with recurrent abdominal pain or celiac disease, using an
APC resistance screening method. Results: One patient with Crohn's dis
ease had a positive screen result, two patients (one with Crohn's, one
with ulcerative colitis) had borderline results, and results in all o
f the control subjects were normal. One patient with Crohn's disease h
ad a history of a thrumboembolic event but had a normal screen result.
Conclusions: Activated protein C resistance does not seem to play a m
ajor role in the etiology of the hypercoagulable state in inflammatory
bowel disease.