Editorial
Copyright ©2008 The WJG Press and Baishideng. All rights reserved.
World J Gastroenterol. Jul 28, 2008; 14(28): 4440-4444
Published online Jul 28, 2008. doi: 10.3748/wjg.14.4440
Thrombosis and inflammatory bowel disease-the role of genetic risk factors
Georgia Tsiolakidou, Ioannis E Koutroubakis
Georgia Tsiolakidou, Ioannis E Koutroubakis, Department of Gastroenterology University Hospital Heraklion, Crete, Heraklion 71110, Greece
Author contributions: Tsiolakidou G reviewed the literature and wrote the first draft of the paper; Koutroubakis IE contributed to providing the idea and performing review and editing of the manuscript.
Correspondence to: Ioannis E Koutroubakis, MD, PhD, Assistant Professor of Medicine, Department of Gastro-enterology, University Hospital Heraklion, PO Box 1352, Crete, Heraklion 71110, Greece. ikoutroub@med.uoc.gr
Telephone: +30-28-10392253
Fax: +30-28-10542085
Received: March 23, 2008
Revised: June 10, 2008
Accepted: June 17, 2008
Published online: July 28, 2008
Abstract

Thromboembolism is a significant cause of morbidity and mortality in patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Recent data suggest thromboembolism as a disease-specific extraintestinal manifestation of IBD, which is developed as the result of multiple interactions between acquired and genetic risk factors. There is evidence indicating an imbalance of procoagulant, anticoagulant and fibrinolytic factors predisposing in thrombosis in patients with IBD. The genetic factors that have been suggested to interfere in the thrombotic manifestations of IBD include factor V Leiden, factor II (prothrombin, G20210A), methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase gene mutation (MTHFR, 6777T), plasminogen activator inhibitor type 1 (PAI-1) gene mutation and factor XIII (val34leu). In this article we review the current data and future prospects on the role of genetic risk factors in the development of thromboembolism in IBD.

Keywords: Crohn’s disease; Factor V Leiden; Genetics; Thrombosis; Ulcerative colitis