Are blood clots more common when you have Crohn's?

[donbert61]

My 21 year old daughter was diagnosed in June, did Prednisone and is now on Methotrexate. At the time of diagnosis she was also on the birth control pill. Fast forward to September and we find out she has a large blood clot in her leg. She is now on Warfarin in addition to her regular meds. The thrombosis specialist told us that people with Crohn's tend to have thicker blood and that, combined with the birth control pill, could have contributed to this.

Is anyone else on blood thinners? Is this a well known fact about Crohn's? She has been off the pill for over a month now and her blood is still clotting too quickly. I swear I am sooo stressed it sometimes seems too much! She was supposed to have an endoscopy. We had to cancel that. What if she has a serious flare with bleeding?

Any experiences would be much appreciated!

 

[ronroush7]

Wishing you the best .

 

[Lady Organic]

yes the specialist is right, we are more at risks for thrombosis with crohn's. I have been told to rush to ER if legs become swollen during a flare. Im not very knowledgeable on this question, but I think that it is especially when we are in a flare that the risk is present. maybe someone has more info or correct info.
When I have a severe flare, my platelets become elevated in my blood report. High platelets number may indicate sign of inflammation in the body, said my GI, but i didnt ask any further when we noted that. I think this specific marker is related to the risk of thrombosis as well. platelets become activated when we are injured to stop the bleeding process. With ongoing Crohn's bleeding activity, the platelets become really active and bigger in numbers to fight it. im really not sure of my claims, hopefully someone has more knowledge. A IBD nurse could inform you some more on this subject I am sure, if you have access to one at the hospital.

here is more info on platelets:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Platelet

is your daughter in remission now? or disease activity is still present?

 

[ronroush7]

I have Crohn's Disease. I am not sure if it is related but more than once the bottoms of my legs have become swollen and I have been put on antibiotics.

 

[Lady Organic]

I would encourage to discuss the risk of thrombosis in crohn's with your GI doctor or nurse.

did the doctor give a diagnosis for the leg swelling?
Did a course of antibiotic work to reduce the swelling?

 

[ronroush7]

I went to my GP. He put me on antibiotics. I haven't had any trouble lately. Is there any trouble with the swelling?

 

[Lady Organic]

maybe your GP diagnosed something else than blood clot issue. I guess there may be different things that can cause leg swelling. For instance, just arthritis can cause leg swelling. Still i would definately bring this subject up with your GI next visit. And if swelling occurs again, call the IBD nurse. That's what I would do.

 

[donbert61]

My daughter had pain in her knee which eventually left her unable to walk. A Dr. at a clinic thought there was a 90% chance that it was soft tissue damage but on a hunch she decided to check her D-dimer. It probably saved her life as the level was through the roof. An ultrasound revealed a large blood clot in her leg.

I am in Ontario and I must say, I find everything VERY disjointed. The emergency department sent her to a thrombosis specialist who is managing her anticoagulants. Her GI hasn't even requested an appointment since the blood clot diagnosis (even though the endoscopy was cancelled)!!! It has not instilled ANY confidence in the GI. When the blood clot was discovered, my daughter wasn't in the middle of a flare. She started methotrexate in August and just finished her Prednisone at the end of August. Things seemed fairly stable - HA!

 

[Lady Organic]

Just found this article:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4393581/

''Thrombosis in inflammatory bowel diseases: what’s the link''
abstract:
Inflammatory bowel disease affects more than 2 million people in Europe, with almost 20% of patients being diagnosed in pediatric age. Patients with inflammatory bowel disease are at increased risk of thromboembolic complications which may affect patients’ morbidity and mortality. The risk of the most common thromboembolic events, such as deep venous thrombosis and pulmonary embolism, are estimated to be three-fold increased compared to controls, but many other districts can be affected. Moreover, patients with ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease experience thromboembolic events at a younger age compared to general population. Many factors have been investigated as determinants of the pro-thrombotic tendency such as acquired risk factors or genetic and immune abnormalities, but a unique cause has not been found. Many efforts have been focused on the study of abnormalities in the coagulation cascade, its natural inhibitors and the fibrinolytic system components and both quantitative and qualitative alterations have been demonstrated. Recently the role of platelets and microvascular endothelium has been reviewed, as the possible link between the inflammatory and hemostatic process.

 

[tots]

Geez- goes to show how much you learn on this forum. I didn't know that.
I have a pain in my arm a few inches above elbow on and off a few weeks.
Hearing this reminds you its so much more than your intestines!


Lauren

 

[ronroush7]

Thanks