[Recurrent venous thromboembolism caused by heparin cofactor II deficiency. A case]

We report the case of a 28-year-old man who was admitted in an emergency because of severe abdominal pain with gastrointestinal haemorrhage and shock. Laparotomy showed infarction of the small intestine with mesenteric veins thrombosis. Severe thromboembolic complications occurred during the post-operative period: bilateral femoral deep vein thrombosis with pulmonary embolism, axillary and subclavian vein thrombosis associated with an intravenous catheter, portal hypertension related to portal vein thrombosis and cavernoma, thrombosis of the superior longitudinal sinus. Laboratory investigations performed after thrombotic episodes and repeated 5 years later evidenced a type 1 Heparin Cofactor II deficiency (HCII Ag by EID: 40 percent; functional Tollefsen's method: 60 percent). This heterozygous deficiency was also found in one of the patient's sons. This is the first reported case of HCII deficiency associated with mesenteric infarction and cerebral thrombophlebitis. The relationship between these severe venous thrombotic episodes and the HCII deficiency is discussed in relation to the dermatan sulphate-HCII couple physiology. Vascular injury may act as a triggering factor in patients with HCII deficiency.