Some patients with
gastroparesis (GP) require sustained central intravenous access for hydration, medication and/or nutrition, leaving them at risk for
venous thrombosis. We studied a group of 53 patients with
gastroparesis for identifiable risk factors of clinically significant
thrombosis. Patients requiring prolonged central IV access fell into two groups: those who had clinical incidence of IV
catheter-related
thrombosis confirmed radiologically (CLOT, n = 14), and those who did not form IV
catheter thrombosis (NOCLOT, n = 39). We analyzed and compared clinical symptoms, serum/plasma coagulation studies, and autoimmune
antibodies in the CLOT and NOCLOT groups. Patients in the CLOT group had statistically more Scl 70
antibodies than did the NOCLOT group, and another
autoantibody, Ku 66, was found in higher titers in the NOCLOT group than the CLOT group. Other autoimmune and
coagulation factors were not statistically different between the two groups, although a subgroup of CLOT patients had lower
plasma Protein S levels. We conclude that the presence of Scl 70
autoantibodies is associated with increased clotting risk in this group of GP patients, and that the Ku 66 antibody may be associated with decreased risk of
thrombosis in patients with GP. These findings, coupled with lower
Protein S levels in some CLOT patients, suggests that autoimmune factors may be associated with GP patients who thrombose IV access versus patients who do not.