Thrombotic Complications in Inflammatory Bowel Disease

Abstract

The risk of thrombotic complications is known to be 3 times higher in patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) than in healthy individuals, with the relative risk being 15 times higher during the periods of relapses. Aim. To study and generalize literature data available on the prevention and treatment of IBD thrombotic complications.Key findings. In the сonditions under study, the presence of chronic inflammation and increased bleeding of the intestinal wall is shown to activate the coagulation system, impair the fibrinolysis system and reduce the activity of natural anticoagulation mechanisms. The concentration of fibrinogen — a protein of the acute inflammation phase — increases significantly. This results in an imbalance of the blood coagulation system with a tendency to hypercoagulation, which significantly increases the risk of thrombotic complications and the disseminated intravascular coagulation syndrome. In turn, the activation of the coagulation cascade may trigger the inflammatory response, which eventually leads to the formation of a vicious circle between chronic inflammation and thrombosis. The pathogenesis of thrombosis in inflammatory colon diseases is a multifactor process, which remains to be understood.Conclusion.The management of patients with IBD in combination with thromboembolic complications requires an individual multidisciplinary approach. Taking into account the pathogenetic factors, the following options are possible in the prevention and treatment of thrombotic complications in IBD: strengthening the basic therapy of the primary disease; administration of prophylactic doses of anticoagulants under dynamic continuous laboratory control in the acute period using the methods of conservative therapy of thrombotic complications (elastic compression of the lower extremities) in the period of exacerbation of the primary disease.

Keywords

• ulcerative colitis
• crohn’s disease
• thrombosis