Activated protein C resistance associated with lupus anticoagulants is a high risk in acute mesenteric venous thrombosis

BackgroundAcute mesenteric venous thrombosis (AMVT) is one of those diseases that cannot be diagnosed by specific symptoms and signs. A high misdiagnosis rate makes AMVT a final diagnosis established by exploratory laparotomy or forensic examinations earlier, during the period when computed tomography was not as efficient as it is now. The main motivation of our research was to improve the diagnosis and treatment by finding the relationship among activated protein C (APC) resistance, antiphospholipid antibodies, and AMVT in the Chinese Han population.MethodsAPC resistance was tested by activated partial thromboplastin time method in 70 AMVT patients and 75 healthy adult volunteers that excluded hypercoagulable states. Factor V Leiden mutation was analyzed by polymerase chain reaction with restriction fragment length polymorphism. Anticardiolipin antibodies (aCLs) were tested by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. A sensitive activated partial thromboplastin time-lupus anticoagulant (LA) test was used according to the guidelines.ResultsOnly two samples had factor V Leiden mutation and were excluded. Twenty-one (30.9%) of the 68 AMVT patients had APC resistance. The rate of aCLs positive in AMVT group (13.2%) was significantly increased compared with control group (1.33%; P = .014). The LA-positive rate is significantly different between the AMVT and control group. Among LA-positive patients, the number of APC resistance was much higher than LA-negative patients (P = .000), but aCLs do not have an increased predisposition to APC resistance (P = .85).ConclusionsAPC resistance associated with LAs is a high risk in AMVT. The way aCL may affect the process of AMVT is not the same as with LA.