Causes of venous thrombosis in fifty Chinese patients

In a whole year from July 1997 to June 1998, a total of 50 patients with so nogram-proved venous thrombosis who called on our hematology clinic consecu tively entered into the study. Their mean age was 59.1 +/- 17.5 years, rang e 18-83 years, and 29 were male. A series of examinations were performed in order to find out the cause of venous thrombosis. These examinations inclu ded antithrombin, protein C, protein S, plasminogen, heparin cofactor ii, a ctivated protein C ratio, factor V Leiden mutation, fibrinogen, factors VII I and XII, euglobulin lysis time, 677 C-->T mutation of methylenetetrahydro folate reductase (MTHFR), prothrombin 20210 (PT 20210) A allele mutation, l upus anticoagulant, anticardiolipin antibody, and complete blood count. Fiv e patients (10%) were found to have malignancy; an inferior vena cava throm bosis in one patient was due to venous compression by hydronephrosis; two p atients had lupus anticoagulant; two had varicose veins of legs; two had pr otein C deficiency; four had protein S deficiency; two had plasminogen defi ciency; two had antithrombin deficiency. No activated protein C resistance, elevated factor VIII level, factor V Leiden, PT 20210 A allele or heparin cofactor II deficiency was found in the present study. Homozygous MTHFR 677 C-->T gene mutation was found in 7 patients (14%); one of them also had a plasminogen deficiency. No possible risk factor of venous thrombosis could be found in 24 patients (48%), In conclusion, malignancy and protein S defi ciency were the most frequent acquired and congenital causes of venous thro mbosis in the Chinese, respectively. Am. J, Hematol, 63:74-78, 2000, (C) 20 00 Wiley-Liss, Inc.