Thrombophilic risk factors among 16 Lebanese patients with cerebral venous and sinus thrombosis.

Cerebral venous and sinus thrombosis (CVST) is a multifaceted disorder. The frequency of inherited and acquired thrombophilia among 16 CVST patients was evaluated. The mean age of the patients was 22.9 years. Five out of the 16 CVST patients (31.2%) showed the G1691A mutation of factor V. The frequency of the C677T methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) genotype was 50% (8/16) in patients (2 of them were homozygous). Four of the patients (25%) had both factor V Leiden and MTHFR mutation. Three of the patients had positive antiphospholipid antibodies. At the time of CVST, 2 female patients were taking oral contraceptive pills. Four patients were known to have malignancies. Despite the limitation of the sample size, we identified an inherited coagulopathy at high rate in our patients. Combined inherited thrombophilia was also present in 25% of patients. This finding supports the impression of a multifactorial process leading to CVST in Lebanese patients.