[Thromboembolic complications in inflammatory bowel disease]

Thromboembolic complications during the course of inflammatory bowel disease are infrequent but are mainly found in young patients and are associated with a high morbimortality. The etiopathogenesis of these complications has been widely debated and the existence of coagulation alterations and fibrinolysis have been suggested. Nonetheless, the mechanism must be complex since not only do not all the patients with these alterations present this complication but neither do all the patients with thromboembolism have recognized coagulation disorders. The most common clinical presentation is deep vein thrombosis with pulmonary embolism with arterial thrombosis being rare. Five patients with Crohn's disease and two with ulcerative colitis who presented a total of new thromboembolic episodes, six arterial (1 in primitive iliac artery, 1 in common femoral artery, 1 in humeral-axillary artery, 2 in internal carotid and 1 in superior mesenteric artery) and three of venous localization (1 in brachyocephalic-subclavian trunk, 1 axillary and 1 iliac-femoral/pulmonary thromboembolism) are reported. An updated review of the etiopathogenesis, presentation, treatment and prophylaxis of the thromboembolic complications of inflammatory bowel disease is presented.