Abstract:
Introduction: Patients infected with the Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) are more prone to developing a hypercoagulable state. This may be due an upregulated inflammatory system resulting in a different coagulation profile.
Aim(s): To compare the coagulation profile of HIV positive patients to HIV negative patients.
Methods: A descriptive comparative prospective study recruiting symptomatic confirmed deep vein thrombosis (DVT) adult patients with HIV status. Patients blood samples were analysed using inflammatory markers, thromboelastogram, light microscopy smears and the scanning electron microscope.
Results: DVT patients have a raised inflammatory profile and a hypercoagulable viscoelastic profile but no significant difference between HIV+ and HIV- groups. Ultrastructural changes of red blood cells, platelets and fibrin network are demonstrated in DVT patients. These changes were more extreme in the HIV positive patients.
Conclusion: Patients with deep vein thrombosis are in a state of inflammation. HIV infection is linked to inflammation and inflammation is linked with a hypercoagulable state. HIV positive patients do have a different coagulation profile compared to HIV negative patients which can result in hypercoagulability and deep vein thrombosis.
