ST-elevation myocardial infarction, pulmonary embolism, and cerebral ischemic stroke in a patient with critically low levels of natural anticoagulants

J Cardiol Cases. 2019 Nov 22;21(3):106-109. doi: 10.1016/j.jccase.2019.11.003. eCollection 2020 Mar.

Abstract

This clinical case report describes the simultaneous development of an acute myocardial infarction, stroke, and a massive pulmonary thromboembolism in a 44-year-old patient - a carrier of the thrombophilia gene polymorphisms: MTHFR C677T, А1298C, PAI-1 4G/5G, ITGA2 C807T. Multifocal thrombosis was probably due to the initial congenital deficiency of anticoagulants, accompanied by a decrease in antithrombin III and protein C, against the background of their critical consumption in cascade thrombosis, in combination with the carrier of polymorphisms of moderate and low thrombogenic risk. This case is unique in that there is usually a tendency toward clinical thrombosis when the level of antithrombin III is less than 70%. Such patients develop thrombosis at a younger age, and by the age of 35-40 years usually have a verified diagnosis of extremely high-risk hereditary thrombophilia. In this case, multifocal thrombosis was accompanied by critically low values of anticoagulants: antithrombin III - 3.4%, and protein C - 36.8%. The patient had suffered from epilepsy since childhood and took anticonvulsant drugs that increase the deficit of active folic acid and can lead to hyperhomocysteinemia, which in this case, against the background of an innate decrease in the activity of methyltetrahydrofolate reductase, could have aggravated the situation. <Learning objective: To focus on the possibility of the manifestation of multifocal thrombosis in congenital thrombophilia in adulthood against the background of critically low values of anticoagulants - antithrombin III and protein C.>.

Keywords: Acquired thrombophilia; Inherited thrombophilia; Multifocal thrombosis; Pulmonary embolism; ST-elevation myocardial infarction; Stroke.

Publication types

  • Case Reports