Common anticoagulant may cause skin lesions.Byline: ANI Washington, Sept 29 (ANI): Heparin, a commonly used anticoagulant anticoagulant (ăn'tēkōăg`yələnt), any of several substances that inhibit blood clot formation (see blood clotting). , may cause skin lesions Skin Lesions Definition A skin lesion is a superficial growth or patch of the skin that does not resemble the area surrounding it. Description Skin lesions can be grouped into two categories: primary and secondary. , a new study has found. Published in CMAJ CMAJ Canadian Medical Association Journal (Canadian Medical Association Journal The Canadian Medical Association Journal (CMAJ) is a general medical journal that is published biweekly by the Canadian Medical Association (CMA). It is considered to be one of the top six general medical journals; the others being the ), the study looked at 320 patients undergoing heparin injections over 12 months at The Hospital of The Johann Wolfgang Goethe University in Frankfurt, Germany. kin lesions caused by heparin may indicate the presence of a life-threatening decrease in the number of platelets, a condition called "heparin-induced thrombocytopenia" or a, in most cases self-limiting, allergic skin reaction. Twenty-four patients exhibited heparin-induced skin lesions, considerably above the expected rate of 2 percent. "During the study, we were surprised by the high number of patients with heparin-induced skin lesions," state Dr. Ralf Ludwig, University of Lubeck, and coauthors. After clinical examination, they suggested "a delayed-type hypersensitivity hypersensitivity, heightened response in a body tissue to an antigen or foreign substance. The body normally responds to an antigen by producing specific antibodies against it. The antibodies impart immunity for any later exposure to that antigen. response was the most common cause for all the observed lesions," which was confirmed by subsequent allergologic and histologic testing. Significantly more women had hypersensitivity reactions. Pregnancy, obesity and long duration of current heparin treatment were associated with a delayed-type hypersensitivity reactions. The authors write that physicians must be aware that skin lesions are a possibility with subcutaneous heparin therapy, and they raise awareness, that the underlying cause of the lesion should be determined. (ANI) Copyright 2009 Asian News International The Asian News International (ANI) agency provides multimedia news to China and 50 bureaus in India. It covers virtually all of South Asia since its foundation and presently claims, on its official website, to be the leading South Asia-wide news agency. (ANI) - All Rights Reserved. Provided by Syndigate.info an Albawaba.com company |
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