A study finds that most are harmless, but the reaction induced by heparin could be serious
A recent study suggests that heparin, a common blood thinner, can cause harmless skin lesions in most cases, but could indicate a dangerous condition induced by this drug.
The researchers examined 320 people who received injections of heparin at a hospital in Germany. Of these, 7.5 percent developed skin lesions as a result of treatment. This rate is two percent higher than researchers had anticipated.
“During the study, we were surprised by the high number of patients with heparin-induced damage,” wrote the study authors. “In most patients, the diagnosis was made thanks to our review.”
The researchers found that in most cases, the injuries resulted from an allergic reaction. Women were more likely to have the reaction, and three factors (pregnancy, obesity and the use of heparin in the long term) resulted in a much higher probability of the condition, the study found.
The authors suggested that physicians should be aware of that might appear in the skin lesions and they need to find the cause. The lesions may be a sign, they said, in a serious condition called “heparin-induced thrombocytopenia”, which decreases the number of blood platelets.
The study findings appear in the September 28 edition of the Canadian Medical Association Journal.