Challenging hemostasis scenarios in pediatric patients - two case studies

Lupus Anticoagulant-Hypoprothrombinemia Syndrome: Literature Review and Description of Local Case in a 3-Year-Old Chinese Girl

Lupus anticoagulant-hypoprothrombinemia syndrome (LAHPS) is a rare, acquired coagulopathy syndrome. Here, we aim to summarize the clinical features of LAHPS to improve the understanding of the disease. The clinical data of 52 patients with LAHPS retrieved through PubMed from 2019 to 2023, supplemented with a local case of a child with LAHPS, were retrospectively analyzed, and the clinical characteristics were summarized. 56.6% of LAHPS patients were female, the median age at onset was 13.0 years (range, 1.2-85 years), and the median activity of factor II was 18.0% (range, 0.1-69%). 64.2% of LAHPS patients experienced hemorrhage, with 29.4% having multisite hemorrhage and 20.6% experiencing both nonsevere and severe hemorrhage. Most of the reported cases were secondary to autoimmune diseases (60.6%), followed by infections (33.3%). Corticosteroids were administered to 79.3% of patients with hemorrhage, and 90.6% of patients with LAHPS showed improvement. In conclusion, LAHPS is most commonly observed in female patients, particularly those under 18 years of age. LAHPS is characterized by hemorrhage, occurring at various sites and with varying degrees of severity, but the majority of patients improve with appropriate treatment and management.

Lupus anticoagulant-hypoprothrombinemia syndrome in children: Three case reports and systematic review of the literature

OBJECTIVE

Children with lupus anticoagulant hypoprothrombinemia syndrome (LAHPS) are characterized by prolonged activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT) and prothrombin time (PT), lupus anticoagulant positivity and low prothrombin (factor II, FII) levels. Bleeding or thrombosis tendencies related to LAHPS in children can occur due to the development of anti-prothrombin antibodies that are usually linked to autoimmune or infectious diseases.

METHODS

We report three pediatric cases of LAHPS and describe details on their clinical symptoms, laboratory characteristics, treatment. PubMed, Medline, and Web of Science searches were conducted on LAHPS in children between 1960 and 2023; articles in English were included.

RESULTS

The coagulation profile revealed prolonged PT and APTT, with low prothrombin levels (19.4%, 21.0% and 12.9%, respectively) and positive lupus anticoagulant in 3 pediatric cases. Fifty-nine relevant articles reported 93 pediatric LAHPS cases (mean age: 9 years (0.8-17 years)); 63 females and 30 males, 87 patients presented with minor to severe bleeding diathesis, and 3 patients presented with thrombosis events. Among 48 patients ≥9 years old, 36 had SLE; among 45 patients <9 years, 29 had viral infection. When all patients were divided into two groups based on age, associated disease, and factor II level, Pearson's χ2 tests were performed, p =.00, and there was clinical significance between autoimmune and infectious disease in patients ≥9 years old and <9 years old, and in patients FII level ≤10% and >10%. LAHPS patients with autoimmune disease had a protracted course and needed prolonged treatment with immune-modulating therapy, while those patients with infectious disease resolved spontaneously or needed short-term immune-modulating therapy.

CONCLUSION

LAHPS caused by autoimmune disease are common in patients ≥9 years old, especially SLE, and FII level ≤10% is often reported in patients caused by autoimmune disease, suggesting that children ≥9 years old diagnosed with LAHPS-related autoimmune disease should pay special attention to the FII level. While LAHPS caused by infectious disease is more frequently observed in patients <9 years, especially viral infection. Early diagnostic investigations are critical to differentiating LAHPS caused by autoimmune or infectious disease, as the prognosis, treatment and outcome are distinct.

Lupus anticoagulant-hypoprothrombinemia syndrome and immunoglobulin-A vasculitis: a report of Japanese sibling cases and review of the literature

Lupus anticoagulant-hypoprothrombinemia syndrome (LAHPS) is a rare bleeding disorder caused by antiprothrombin antibodies. LAHPS is associated with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) or infections. We describe two Japanese brothers with immunoglobulin-A vasculitis (IgAV) who met the diagnostic criteria of LAHPS. They presented with palpable purpura and abdominal pain, and had a prolonged activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT) and prothrombin deficiency with the presence of lupus anticoagulant. Pediatric LAHPS was reviewed in abstracts from the Japan Medical Abstracts Society that were written in Japanese and PubMed or Web of Science-listed articles in English between 1996 and 2019. Including our cases, pediatric LAHPS has been reported in 40 Japanese and 46 non-Japanese patients. We summarized the clinical and laboratory characteristics of all 86 cases, and found only one Japanese LAHPS case with IgAV, except for our cases. Of the 86 cases, most were associated with infections followed by SLE. The presence of SLE, older age, lower prothrombin levels, severe bleeding symptoms, and positivity of immunoglobulin G anticardiolipin antibodies and anticardiolipin/β₂-glycoprotein I antibodies and/or β₂-glycoprotein I-dependent anticardiolipin antibodies had higher odds of requiring treatment. Measuring the APTT and prothrombin time (PT) might be required in patients with IgAV when they do not have a typical clinical course or distinctive symptoms. LAHPS should be considered with prolongation of the APTT and/or PT. Additionally, it is important to maintain a balance between the risk of thrombosis and hemorrhage when normalization of the PT and FII levels occurs in LAHPS cases under treatment.

Rituximab use in pediatric lupus anticoagulant hypoprothrombinemia syndrome - report of three cases and review of the literature

Lupus anticoagulant hypoprothrombinemia syndrome (LA-HPS) is a rare condition that may predispose both to thrombosis and bleeding due to positive lupus anticoagulant (LA) and factor II (FII) deficiency. It can be seen in association with infections or systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and may require glucocorticoids (GCs) and/or immunosuppressive medications. Pediatric LA-HPS cases in the literature and three cases that received only rituximab (RTX) for LA-HPS (in addition to GCs) at two institutions between January 2010 and June 2017 were analyzed descriptively. Pediatric LA-HPS cases (≤18 years) with bleeding or thrombotic events were included. Information obtained included demographics, presenting symptoms, diagnoses, treatments, pre-/post-treatment prothrombin time (PT)/partial thromboplastin time (PTT)/LA/FII levels, and outcomes. In addition to three LA-HPS cases identified at our institutions, as of June 2017, 37 articles reported 54 pediatric LA-HPS cases (mean age: 8 years (0.9-17 years); female/male: (2:1); viral illness 27 (50%), SLE 20 (37%), and other six (11%)). All cases had a positive LA and FII deficiency (range: 0%-40%). All cases presented with bleeding diathesis and were treated with various regimens, but there was no reported use of RTX. The purpose of this report is to describe the novel use of RTX as a steroid-sparing agent in three pediatric SLE cases and to systematically review the literature on pediatric cases of LA-HPS.