Does the Presence of Giant Pseudopolyps in a Patient with Newly Diagnosed Inflammatory Bowel Disease Increase the Risk of Major Thrombotic Events?

Abstract

Giant inflammatory polyp and thromboembolism are uncommon complications in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) patients. Colon mucosal inflammation is possibly the main mechanism of pathogenesis for these two complications. IBD has long been associated with hypercoagulability and thromboembolism. In fact, thromboembolism has been noted in 0.7% to 7.7% of IBD patients, with the deep veins of the legs and the pulmonary veins accounting for 90% of the cases. The proposed mechanism of this hypercoagulability involves the promotion of hemostasis that results from the inflammatory process underlying the IBD, as well as the loss of proteins, including antithrombotic factors, resulting from the inflamed bowel and increased permeability of the colonic mucosa. This process may be exacerbated by the presence of giant inflammatory polyps, which are defined as polyps in the setting of IBD with dimensions greater than 1.5 cm. The presence of these polyps leads to an increase in inflamed colonic surface area, which can accelerate the rate of protein loss, leading to an increased incidence of thrombosis. Here, we report the case of a 21-year-old female with inferior vena cava and left renal vein thromboses secondary to a newly diagnosed IBD and the presence of severe giant inflammatory polyposis. These thromboses were detected incidentally in this patient after 1 week of hospitalization. She had presented with hypoalbuminemia and elevated inflammatory markers, which raised the suspicion for possible giant inflammatory polyposis as a potential risk for her major thromboembolic events. More studies are required to explore this plausible correlation further.

Keywords

• giant pseudopolyps
• inflammatory bowel disease
• major thrombotic events