Factor V
Leiden thrombophilia is named after the city Leiden in the Netherlands.
When you get a cut or scrape, your
body forms a clot to stop the bleeding. Clots are clumps of blood cells called
platelets and the liquid part of your blood called plasma. Factor
V Leiden, also called FVL, is a change in your genes (the doctor will call it a
mutation) that keeps this process from working right. It's leads to a condition
called factor V Leiden thrombophilia.
It works like this: Factor V (factor 5) is one of
several special proteins in your blood that help it clot. They’re called
clotting factors. Once the bleeding stops, other proteins tell your clotting
factors to break up the clot, and it goes away.
Factor V Leiden causes hypercoagulability, which makes
it harder for your clots to break up. If the clots don't go away, you're more
likely to have one in the veins in your legs. This is called deep venous
thrombosis (DVT). You're also at higher risk for having clots that travel
through your bloodstream. These can cause a blockage in the arteries in
your lungs, known as pulmonary embolism (PE).
You get it from your genes. That means you were born
with a gene mutation that
causes it. You can get it from one or both of your parents.
Factor V Leiden is the most
common cause of inherited thrombophilia accounting for 40-50% of cases. People
with factor V Leiden thrombophilia have a higher-than-average risk of
developing venous thromboembolic disease. The relative risk for venous
thrombosis is increased approximately three to eightfold in individuals who are
heterozygous for the factor V Leiden allele. It increased 18 to 80 fold in
individuals who are homozygous. This can manifest as DVTs, pulmonary embolisms
or other venous outflow obstructions.
Factor V Leiden thrombophilia is diagnosed either by using a
coagulation screening test or by DNA analysis of F5, which encodes the factor V
protein. Managing this disorder is challenging, because the current treatment
regimen available can increase the patient’s chance of bleeding.
Symptoms
Some people with factor V Leiden may never know they
have it. When there are signs of it, the first is usually a clot somewhere in
the body. The clots can be minor or life-threatening, depending on where they
are.
The signs of a clot include:
- Pain
- Redness
- Swelling
- Warmth
A deep vein clot (DVT) typically shows up in your leg. It
causes the same symptoms but with more swelling.
Pulmonary embolisms caused by traveling clots can
damage your lungs and can even be fatal. Symptoms include:
- Chest pain or discomfort,
which usually gets worse with a deep breath or coughing
- Coughing up blood
- Trouble breathing
- Fast or irregular
heartbeat
- Very low blood pressure, dizziness,
or fainting
Diagnosis
Your doctor will ask about your medical history and any
clots you or any family members may have had.
Treatment:
People with factor V Leiden thrombophilia
who've had a deep venous thrombosis (DVT) or pulmonary embolism (PE) are
usually treated with blood
thinners, or anticoagulants (such as heparin and warfarin). Anticoagulants are
given for varying amounts of time depending on the person's situation.
Heparin: works more quickly than warfarin does and is safe in
pregnancy, but must be monitored closely due to the risk of excess bleeding. 2)
Warfarin: Bleeding is the most common side effect of warfarin and it interacts
with the metabolism of numerous other medications. 3) Dabigatran: It does not
require the same monitoring that heparin and warfarin do but there is no
reversal medication for excess bleeding. 4) Rivaroxaban: Currently FDA approved
for the prevention of blood clots in certain people, but is not specifically
approved for the treatment of blood clots. It can also interact with a number
of medications and is known to cause recurrent GI bleed
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