Deep vein thrombosis associated with factor V inhibitor followed by immune thrombocytopenia

Acquired Factor V Inhibitor Complicated with Immune Thrombocytopenia

We herein report a patient with a high bleeding tendency as a result of acquired factor V inhibitor and immune thrombocytopenia (ITP). The administration of prednisolone increased the platelet count, but a fatal bleeding event occurred before platelet levels had sufficiently increased. Factor V is stored in not only plasma but also platelets, and platelet-derived factor V might play a local hemostatic role. Bleeding tendency may be high in rare cases where factor V inhibitor is complicated with severe thrombocytopenia. In such patients, physicians should consider aggressive hemostatic therapy, including plasma exchange, in addition to immunosuppressive therapy.

A Review of Coagulation Abnormalities of Autoimmune Acquired Factor V Deficiency with a Focus on Japan

Coagulation factor V (or FV for the purpose of medical safety) is an essential cofactor of coagulation factor X in the common pathway of coagulation; severe FV deficiency leads to a bleeding tendency. Although both congenital and acquired FV deficiencies are widely recognized, FV deficiency also presents as an autoimmune disorder. A nationwide survey on autoimmune coagulation factor deficiencies (AiCFDs) conducted in Japan by our Japanese Collaborative Research Group identified 24 new patients with autoimmune FV deficiency (AiFVD) in the past 5 years. Furthermore, our extensive literature search confirmed that 177 AiFVD cases have been reported in previous articles published from Japan. Patients with AiFVD in Japan were predominantly men, with age similar to those with other AiCFDs. AiFVD was confirmed as a relatively mild type of bleeding diathesis, associated with lower mortality rate than that for AiFVD and other AiCFDs reported in previous studies. Patients with AiFVD had variable FV inhibitor titers and both neutralizing anti-FV autoantibodies and nonneutralizing counterparts. Although spontaneous resolution occurs in some patients, timely initiation of hemostatic and immunosuppressive therapies helps arrest the bleeding and eliminate anti-FV antibodies, resulting in a high cumulative recovery rate. Immunological anti-FV antibody detection is recommended to avoid missing AiFVD cases for the presence of nonneutralizing anti-FV autoantibodies. Further investigation is necessary to clarify the long-term prognosis and optimal management of AiFVD.

Measurement of coagulation factor antibody levels is useful for diagnosis and determining therapeutic efficacy in hemorrhagic patients with autoantibodies to coagulation factor VIII and factor V: results from a single center in Japan

Coagulation factor inhibitors (CFIs) sometimes cause fatal bleeding conditions. Determination of an inhibitor titer (INH-titer) using the Bethesda method is essential for diagnosing diseases associated with CFIs and examining the effects of immunosuppressive therapy. We reviewed 17 cases with CFIs (acquired hemophilia A, n = 11; FV inhibitor, n = 6) to examine the usefulness of determining quantities of an autoantibody to a coagulation factor (CF-IgG) by ELISA for diagnosis and therapeutic efficacy, as compared with INH-titer. One patient with an INH-titer and no evidence of CF-IgG was lupus anticoagulant (LA)-positive, and thus the positive INH-titer may have been a false positive caused by LA. Although INH-titer alone was insufficient to correctly identify patients with CFI, determination of CF-IgG appeared to be useful. In addition, even after INH-titer disappearance, hemorrhagic conditions recurred when CF-IgG was detected. These findings suggest that the presence of a clearance antibody against the coagulation factor might reduce the activity of that coagulation factor even after disappearance of the corresponding neutralizing antibody. Although the diagnosis and therapeutic efficacy can also be determined by INH-titer disappearance and improvement of corresponding coagulation factor activity, determination of CF-IgG by ELISA can improve the accuracy of these assessments.

A high titer of acquired factor V inhibitor in a hemodialysis patient who developed arterial thrombosis

An 87-year-old man with diabetes mellitus was admitted to control recurrent bleeding from hemodialysis puncture sites. He was a smoker and had been diagnosed with arteriosclerosis obliterans. His PT and APTT were markedly prolonged, and all coagulation factors were markedly decreased (factor V [FV] activity < 1%) or below the measurement threshold, with the exception of fibrinogen and factor XIII. Neither PT nor APTT were corrected upon mixing with normal plasma. A high titer of FV inhibitor was found at 415 BU/mL, and anti-FV autoantibody was detected by both immunoblot assay and ELISA. Prednisolone administration and plasma exchange partially improved prolonged PT and APTT and decreased the FV inhibitor level. Five months later, he manifested symptoms of severe ischemia in both legs. Angiography revealed diffuse stenosis downstream of both common iliac arteries. Endovascular therapy was repeated four times, the prednisolone dose was reduced, and low-dose antiplatelet therapy was initiated. After the final successful endovascular therapy, arterial thrombosis was detected using ultrasound and angiography. Aspiration thrombectomy and thrombolytic therapy failed to achieve recanalization, and necrosis of the legs worsened. Despite the severe coagulation abnormalities, vascular interventions should have been performed with regular-dose antiplatelet therapy, as the patient exhibited multiple risk factors for atherothrombosis.

Acquired factor V deficiency in a patient with a urinary tract infection presenting with haematuria followed by multiple haemorrhages with an extremely low level of factor V inhibitor: a case report and review of the literature

: Acquired factor V deficiency (AFVD) is a rare haemostatic disorder that is primarily because of the development of factor V inhibitors. Approximately, 200 cases have been reported and the greatest portion of these cases was because of bovine thrombin exposure. We report a case of a man who presented with haematuria followed by multiple haemorrhages associated with an elevated prothrombin time and an activated partial thromboplastin time. A workup revealed reduced factor V activity and a factor V inhibitor level of 1.9 BU, which were likely secondary to a urinary tract infection. Using corticosteroids, we successfully eliminated the inhibitor and controlled the bleeding. We review the published literature to identify the conditions that are associated with nonbovine thrombin AFVD. We assume that AFVD should be kept in mind for patients who present with multiple haemorrhages.

Factor V Inhibitors: A Diagnostic and Therapeutic Challenge

Historically, inhibitors to coagulation factor V (FV) most often have developed in patients treated with bovine thrombin, a topical hemostatic agent used during surgical procedures. With the advent of newer hemostatic agents, and the concurrent diminished use of bovine thrombin, the incidence of FV inhibitors has fallen. Nevertheless, FV inhibitors are occasionally seen on an idiopathic basis as well as in association with medications, malignancies, autoimmune disorders, pregnancy, and infections. Factor V inhibitors may present with life-threatening bleeding or thrombosis, or they may be discovered incidentally as a coagulation screening test abnormality. Management of patients with FV inhibitors is challenging and consists of control of bleeding and eradication of the inhibitor. In this short overview we review the role of platelet and plasma FV in hemostasis and discuss the unique characteristics, clinical features, diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis associated with FV inhibitors.

Acquired factor V inhibitor in a patient with mantle cell lymphoma presenting with hematuria followed by thrombosis: a case report

Acquired factor V inhibitor is a rare hemostatic disorder that presents with hemorrhagic manifestations in the vast majority of patients. Factor V inhibitor may develop through a variety of mechanisms involving development of alloantibodies or autoantibodies specific to Factor V. Autoantibodies, in particular, have been reported in a number of conditions. In this report, we describe a case of acquired factor V inhibitor in a patient with mantle cell lymphoma who presented with hematuria. Seven weeks after diagnosis and successful management, the patient developed deep vein thrombosis in the right lower extremity. The patient’s factor V levels were normalized, and the inhibitor was successfully eradicated using corticosteroids. Here, we discuss this rare disorder, its unusual manifestation, and provide a mini-review of the current literature regarding factor V inhibitors.