The significance of thrombophilia in paediatric thromboembolism

Abstract

The role of thrombophilia in paediatric thromboembolic disease remains controversial. The objective of the present study was to investigate the prevalence of thrombophilia and other risk factors among children with a thromboembolic event. We systematically examined the medical records and laboratory results of 126 children (≤15 years) referred to Aarhus University Hospital, Denmark with a recent thromboembolic event during 2005–2016. Among the 126 children with thrombosis, 99 (79%) had arterial thrombosis, 66 (52%) being in the neonatal period. Remarkably, 48 (38%) children had occurrence of acute illness or underlying disease prior to the thromboembolic event. In total, 11 (11%) children with arterial thrombosis had a hereditary or acquired thrombophilia with a non-significant odds ratio compared with the general population, while 9 of the 27 (33%) children with venous thrombosis had a hereditary or acquired thrombophilia being significantly higher than in the general population. Acute illness or underlying diseases seem to induce increased risk of thromboembolic disease in children. The present study does not support that thrombophilia is associated with arterial thrombosis. However, the results support thrombophilia testing in children with venous thromboembolism.

Keywords:

• Child
• infant
• newborn
• thrombophilia
• thromboembolism
• stroke

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.