Report of three cases of circulating heparin-like anticoagulants

Clinically significant endogenous circulating heparin-like anticoagulant ac tivity has been associated with hematological malignancies, liver damage, e nd other pathological conditions. The source of high plasma concentrations of endogenous heparin-like anticoagulants is poorly understood. We report t hree cases of circulating heparin-like anticoagulants in three patients wit h hematological malignancies: CLL, multiple myeloma, and T-prolymphocytic l eukemia. The severity of bleeding in our patients ranged from severe epista xls and deep-site hematoma to bleeding of biopsy site and occasional ecchym osis, (C) 2001 Wiley-Liss, Inc.