ABSTRACT
Inflammation and venous thrombosis are intertwined. Only in the recent 15 years clinical epidemiological studies have focussed on inflammatory or infectious diseases as risk factors for venous thrombosis. Although a few reviews and many case reports or studies on these topic has been written, a review reporting relative or absolute risks for venous thrombosis has not been published yet. We performed a systematic review using Medline, Pubmed and Embase and found 31 eligible articles. Inflammatory bowel disease, ANCA-associated vasculitis, infections in general and more specifically, human immunodeficiency virus, pneumonia and urinary tract infections are associated with an increased risk of venous thrombosis.
Subject(s)
Communicable Diseases/epidemiology , Inflammation/epidemiology , Venous Thrombosis/epidemiology , Blood Coagulation , Communicable Diseases/blood , Communicable Diseases/immunology , Humans , Inflammation/blood , Inflammation/immunology , Inflammation Mediators/metabolism , Risk Assessment , Risk Factors , Venous Thrombosis/blood , Venous Thrombosis/immunologyABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Mastocytosis is characterized by the abnormal proliferation of mast cells in 1 or more organs. In most patients, a mutation is present in the gene for C-KIT, resulting in deregulation of the c-kit receptor. Imatinib mesylate is a potent inhibitor of c-kit receptor tyrosine kinase activity. Therefore, the authors evaluated the efficacy and safety of imatinib mesylate as treatment for patients with systemic mastocytosis. METHODS: Patients with systemic mastocytosis received imatinib mesylate orally at a dose of 400 mg once daily for 3 to 6 months. Low doses of prednisone were added during the first 2 weeks. Endpoints were reductions in serum tryptase, urinary N-methylhistamine excretion, skin lesions, the number of mast cells in bone marrow sections, hepatomegaly and/or splenomegaly, and symptoms. RESULTS: Of 14 patients who were included in the study, 11 patients had the D816V mutation. One patient expressed the FIP1L1-PDGFR-alpha rearrangement gene. In 2 patients, no mutation was found. In 10 patients, serum tryptase levels decreased >20%. In all patients, urinary N-methylhistamine excretion was reduced. In 8 of 13 evaluable patients, the number of mast cells in the bone marrow decreased. Skin symptoms diminished in 5 of 9 patients. Hepatosplenomegaly improved in 3 of 6 patients. Symptoms decreased in 8 of 13 patients. In all patients who had the D816V mutation, reductions in > or =2 endpoints were achieved. In the patient who expressed the FIP1L1-PDGFR-alpha rearrangement gene, a complete response was attained. In general, imatinib mesylate was tolerated well. CONCLUSIONS: Imatinib mesylate was effective in patients with systemic mastocytosis, including those who had the D816V mutation.