Heparin-induced thrombocytopenia: diagnostic tests and biological mechanisms

Diagnosis and management of heparin-induced thrombocytopenia

PURPOSE

To review recent developments in the pathogenesis, clinical features, laboratory testing and treatment of heparin-induced thrombocytopenia (HIT).

METHODS

Narrative review of the literature, including relevant papers published in English or French.

PRINCIPAL FINDINGS

Although the prevalence of HIT has decreased with the widespread use of low molecular weight heparin in the past ten years, HIT remains a life-threatening prothrombotic state. This immune adverse event due to heparin-dependent antibodies that bind to chemokines (such as platelet factor 4) induces platelet activation and hypercoagulability. Heparin-induced thrombocytopenia can be complicated by thrombosis even after withdrawing heparin, explaining why substituting heparin with an alternative anticoagulant (danaparoid, lepirudin, argatroban) is always necessary. However, management of these alternative treatments is difficult, and in some patients there is the risk of withdrawing heparin without taking the time to diagnose HIT properly on the basis of clinical and laboratory findings (evolution of platelet count, laboratory testing such as antigen assays and platelet activation tests).

CONCLUSIONS

Management of HIT has become easier in recent years with the development of more specific and sensitive laboratory tests and new antithrombotic drugs. However, the diagnosis of HIT is often difficult, and it remains very important to investigate this adverse reaction systematically in every patient treated with heparin who develops thrombocytopenia.

Heparin is not required for detection of antibodies associated with heparin-induced thrombocytopenia/thrombosis

Heparin-induced thrombocytopenia (HIT), with or without thrombosis, is a common and often serious complication of heparin therapy. Platelet-activating, heparin-induced antibodies characteristic of HIT are thought to be specific for complexes formed between platelet factor 4 (PF4) and heparin, and such complexes are routinely used for antibody detection. We studied the binding of HIT antibodies to PF4 complexed with heparin fractions of uniform molecular size or linear polyanions other than heparin and found that many compounds other than heparin form complexes with PF4 that are suitable for antibody detection, provided they carry strong negative charges spaced about 0.5 nm apart along the molecular backbone and are of sufficient length to span about 40% of the circumference of the PF4 tetramer. Polyvinyl phosphonate was among the compounds that were equivalent to heparin. Thus neither a polysaccharide chain nor sulfate side groups--the hallmarks of heparin structure--are required for HIT antibody detection. The findings support the view that antibodies associated with HIT are specific for conformational changes that take place in the positively charged PF4 molecule when it reacts with a suitable, linear polyanion.

Heparin-induced Thrombocytopenia

Treatment with heparin is associated with two types of thrombocytopenia. The most worrisome of these is the immune-mediated heparin-induced thrombocytopenia (HIT type II). Suspicion of HIT type II mandates immediate cessation of heparin administration and consideration of an alternative anticoagulation therapy. Hirudin and argatroban are approved alternative anticoagulants with no cross-reactivity with the HIT antibody. HIT type II is a clinicopathologic syndrome, and therefore diagnosis requires clinical and laboratory confirmation. The laboratory evaluation for HIT type II should also determine whether or not there is HIT-antibody cross-reactivity with danaparoid and low molecular weight heparin. Patients with HIT type II who require coronary artery bypass graft surgery present a particularly difficult situation, as there is no ideal alternative to heparin anticoagulation.