Hemorrhagic diathesis in Weber-Christian disease.

A case of a 21-year-old woman with Weber-Christian disease, associated with consumption coagulopathy and adequately controlled over the past year or more by corticosteroid and heparin therapy, has been described. Through the study on this case, it was concluded that a hemorrhagic diathesis complicating Weber-Christian disease, at least in advanced cases, was characterized by consumption coagulopathy associated with enhanced blood coagulability which arises from hyperlipemia due to abnormal lipid metabolism and further, that the consumption coagulopathy was modified by diminished synthesis of clotting factors and activation of the fibrinolytic system due to the secondary hepatic impairment. It might also be likely that systemic vascular changes contribute to the activation of the clotting system as a trigger of clotting factor consumption. The complex pathophysiology of a hemorrhagic diathesis in this disease seemed to be brought about by a complex combination of such a variety of factors. In addition, decreased erythrocyte sedimentation rate observed characteristically during hemorrhage might probably have a direct correlation with hypofibrinogenemia due to consumption coagulopathy in advanced cases.