Analysis of levels of natural anticoagulant proteins and activated protein C resistance in venous thromboembolism patients referred to Iranian Blood Transfusion Organization, Tehran

Background and ObjectivesAntithrombin (AT), protein C (PC) and protein S (PS) deficiencies plus activated protein C- resistance (APC-R) are among the most common hereditary causes of VTE. No comprehensive study on the prevalence of natural anticoagulant protein deficiencies in thrombophilic patients had been done before in Iran so we aimed to analyze these deficiencies in Iranian VTE patients. Materials and MethodsThis descriptive-retrospective analysis was done on 734 patients presented with the symptoms of VTE who were referred to Iranian Blood Transfusion Organization for thrombophilia screening tests in 2004-2005. After exclusion of patients with a history of an acquired thrombophilic condition, sampling of AT, PC, PS and APC-R activities were performed consecutively on 404 patients. Z-test was used to compare the present results with those of other population studies. ResultsOut of the total number of 404 patients, 369 (91.3%) were presented with DVT, 63 (15.6%) with PE, and 9 (2.2%) with TUS; there were also 39 patients (9.6%) with coexistence of two kinds of thrombosis. The deficiency of PS in 92 patients (22.8%), APC-R in 44 (10.9%), PC deficiency in 27 (6.7%), AT deficiency in 21 (5.2%) and compound deficiencies in 36 (8.9%) were observed.Conclusions