Prothrombotic inherited abnormalities other than factor V Leiden mutation do not play a role in venous thrombosis in inflammatory bowel disease

OBJECTIVES: Because the incidence of thromboembolism is increased in patien ts with inflammatory bowel disease, we attempted to assess the role of prot hrombotic inherited coagulation abnormalities in the development of thrombo sis. METHODS: Four populations were compared: 15 patients with inflammatory bowe l disease and a previous venous thrombosis, 58 control patients with inflam matory bowel disease but without thrombosis, 110 patients without inflammat ory bowel disease but with previous deep venous thrombosis, and 84 healthy subjects. Inherited and acquired risk factors of venous thrombosis, e.g., f actor V Leiden and prothrombin 20210A mutations, C677T methylenetetrahydrof olate reductase polymorphism, a polymorphism located in exon 13 of factor V gene, inflammatory and hypercoagulability markers were studied in each pop ulation. RESULTS: In the study, 14.3% of thrombotic patients with inflammatory bowel disease had factor V Leiden mutation versus 0% of control patients with in flammatory bowel disease (p = 0.04), 15.5% of thrombotic patients without i nflammatory bowel disease (NS) and 3.6% of the healthy controls. A total of 14% of thrombotic patients with inflammatory bowel disease and 11.8% of th rombotic patients without inflammatory bowel disease carried prothrombin 20 210A mutation, compared to 1.7% of control patients with inflammatory bowel disease; however, the difference was just below significance. Other inheri ted coagulation abnormalities were not statistically significantly differen t among the four populations. CONCLUSIONS: Our study confirms that factor V Leiden mutation increases the risk for thrombotic events but is not more frequent in patients with infla mmatory bowel disease. Our results do not support the role of other thrombo tic risk factors. (C) 2001 by Am. Cell. of Gastroenterology.