The following is a summary of “Venous Thromboembolism in Pediatric Inflammatory Bowel Disease: A Scoping Review,” published in the October 2023 issue of Pediatrics by Gandhi, et al.

For a study, researchers sought to comprehensively examine existing data on the prevention and management of venous thromboembolism (VTE) in pediatric inflammatory bowel disease (pIBD), considering both gastrointestinal symptoms and extra-intestinal manifestations.

Following the PRISMA extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR), literature on VTE in pediatric IBD published from 1967 to 2023 was identified, screened, assessed for quality, and analyzed.

Data were extracted from 107 studies involving 216 pediatric patients with IBD and VTE. The median age of IBD patients with VTE was 14 years. Those with VTE were more likely to have ulcerative colitis (70%, n = 216), experience VTE within the first year of IBD diagnosis (52%, n = 97), recently use steroids (62%, n = 50), and have central venous catheters (38%, n = 42). Cerebral venous sinus thrombus was the most common type of VTE (34% of all VTE). Testing for thrombophilia conditions was rarely available, but 65% (n = 23) of tested subjects showed elevated Factor VIII activity. While most patients fully recovered, 5% (n = 11) died due to their VTE.

Although randomized clinical trials for preventing and treating VTE in pIBD would be optimal, feasibility is low. However, a growing interest and literature on this topic over the past decade suggest the need for a consensus statement from a multidisciplinary group of experts. Such a statement, drawing from available literature and clinical experience, would be valuable for clinicians in practice.

Source: journals.lww.com/jpgn/abstract/2023/10000/venous_thromboembolism_in_pediatric_inflammatory.11.aspx