The Risk Factors for Thrombosis in Children With Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia

Abstract

We aimed to scrutinize the risk factors for thrombosis in children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia treated with the Berlin-Frankfurt-Münster 95 protocol. The study population was 82 children younger than 16 years of age. The children were followed up for 10 years until January 2007. Thrombosis occurred in 10 (12%) of 82 patients during the treatment course, mainly after the M protocol. The most common risk factor was factor V Leiden (FVL; 15.6%). This was followed by methyleneterahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR; 9.3%), elevated lipoprotein (1.5%), and prothrombin (PT) 20210A (1.5%) in descending order. The risk of thrombosis was found to be significantly high in patients with FVL mutation (odds ratio = 7.1, 95% confidence interval = 1.6-30.5). The risk of thrombosis was not significant in patients with MTHFR and PT20210A mutation ( P = .2). Age, catheter usage, FVL mutation, and prednisolone treatment are significant risk factors for thromboemboli occurrence.