High FVIII level is associated with idiopathic portal vein thrombosis in South India.

BACKGROUND

In the majority of the cases of portal vein thrombosis in India, the etiology cannot be determined. A high level of factor VIII (FVIII) is a risk factor for venous thromboembolism.

METHODS

In this study from South India, FVIII was estimated in 32 patients with idiopathic portal vein thrombosis (PVT), 12 healthy controls and 12 disease controls with chronic liver disease.

RESULTS

Eighty-four percent of the patients with portal vein thrombosis (27/32) vs 17% of healthy controls (2/12) had high factor VIII levels (P <.0001). FVIII levels were significantly different between the subset of PVT patients with normal liver function compared with healthy controls (P <.001) and also between the subset of PVT patients with abnormal liver function compared with disease controls (P <.05).

CONCLUSIONS

A high factor VIII level seems to contribute to the development of portal vein thrombosis in India.