[Hemostasis and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection]

Various coagulation abnormalities were reported in HIV-infected patients. Cases of severe thrombocytopenia were first observed in contaminated homosexual males, as well as prolonged APTT due to the presence of lupus-like anticoagulant with a frequency in the range 8 to 70% of the studied patients. Even if lupus anticoagulant could be evidenced in asymptomatic patients, it frequently occurred during acute opportunistic infections such as Pneumocystis carinii. More recently, increased prevalence of protein S and heparin cofactor II deficiency, two physiological coagulation inhibitors were demonstrated in HIV-infected patients. The same applied for hypoalbuminemia-related fibrin polymerization defects which induced prolonged thrombin and reptilase clotting times. Abnormalities of the fibrinolytic system were also reported, such as increased levels of both tissue-type plasminogen activator and type 1 plasminogen activator inhibitor or decreased levels of histidine-rich glycoprotein. Even if the acute phase response could play a key-role, the pathogenesis of these abnormalities is not fully understood, so far. In addition, their clinical consequences have not been extensively investigated, but hemorrhage appeared to be uncommon. Moreover, D-dimer levels were found increased in HIV-infected patients, suggesting that HIV-infection might be associated with a so-called prethrombotic state, which could lead to clinical thrombosis in some HIV-infected patients (2%).