Abstract Number: PB0784
Meeting: ISTH 2021 Congress
Background: Arterial and venous thromboses are rare in childhood but have rising incidence due to longer survival of chronic patients, catheters’ use and increased sensitivity of diagnostic tools. Coronovirus pandemic could induce further increase considering the thrombotic complications of the virus, decreased mobility or restricted access to health care.
Aims: The aims of this study were to provide data regarding thromboses in childhood within a 5-year period and identify possible distinct characteristics of cases diagnosed within the first year of the pandemic.
Methods: Data were retrospectively collected from January 2016 to December 2020, for children aged 28 days-18 years old, with both venous and arterial thromboses, in a reference Thrombosis Centre in Greece. Patients with cancer-associated thrombosis or perinatal ischemia were excluded.
Results: Overall, 214 children were reported with thromboses [mean age: 6.1±5.1 years, 133 (62.1%) males], with rising incidence per year. The most statistically significant (p: 0.024) increase, by 51%, was in 2020 in comparison to 2019 (74 compared to 49 new cases respectively). Most thromboses diagnosed in 2020 (55.1%) manifested in the central nervous system, with equal presence of arterial ischemic strokes and cerebral sinus venous thromboses (CSVT), followed by deep vein thromboses (DVT) of extremities (33.3%), visceral venous thromboses (7.2%) and pulmonary embolism (2.9%), similar to previous years. Only two patients were found positive for coronavirus. Infection was the commonest underlying condition in all years (23.7% of total), whereas 16.1% of total cases were central venous line-related DVT and 14.7% were CSVT secondary to otitis media or acute mastoiditis. Frequencies of thrombophilia mutations concerning homozygosity for MTHFR and heterozygosity for FV Leiden and FII20210A were 7%, 5.6% and 3.3% respectively.
Conclusions: Incidence of thromboses was increased by more than 50% in 2020 but further research is needed to elucidate whether this increase is directly or indirectly related to the pandemic.
To cite this abstract in AMA style:
Ioannidou L, Dettoraki A, Michalopoulou A, Kapsimali Z, Saslis S, Mazarakis M, Pergantou H. A 5-Year Study of Arterial and Venous Thromboses in Greek Infants, Children and Adolescents. Comparison of Data Before and during the Pandemic Period [abstract]. Res Pract Thromb Haemost. 2021; 5 (Suppl 2). https://abstracts.isth.org/abstract/a-5-year-study-of-arterial-and-venous-thromboses-in-greek-infants-children-and-adolescents-comparison-of-data-before-and-during-the-pandemic-period/. Accessed January 24, 2022.« Back to ISTH 2021 Congress
ISTH Congress Abstracts - https://abstracts.isth.org/abstract/a-5-year-study-of-arterial-and-venous-thromboses-in-greek-infants-children-and-adolescents-comparison-of-data-before-and-during-the-pandemic-period/