Like father, like son: Pulmonary thromboembolism due to inflammatory or hereditary condition? Two case reports

摘要

BACKGROUND Venous thromboembolism,which includes deep venous thrombosis and pulmonary embolism,is a well-known causal disorder with high morbidity and mortality rates.Inherited or acquired conditions affecting components of coagulation and fibrinolysis systems have been linked to venous thromboembolism pathogenesis as they may lead to a pro-inflammatory state in human bodies.Toxoplasmosis is a zoonosis that potentially leads to acute systemic cachectic-inflammatory effects in experimental animal models but is not yet proven in humans.It is known that venous thrombosis can occur during acute inflammatory/infectious diseases,although it is not well established with regard to toxoplasmosis alone.CASE SUMMARY A 70-year-old Caucasian man and his 32-year-old son developed general malaise,chills,fever,and myalgia,having established a diagnosis of toxoplasmosis.Twenty days later,they presented dry cough leading to further investigations that revealed an incidental deep venous thrombosis plus pulmonary embolism in them both.Thrombophilia screening showed both patients had a factor V Leiden mutation heterozygosis.Father and son completely recovered without any sequalae after anticoagulant treatment.They have not presented symptom recurrence of either medical disorder during 1 year of follow-up.CONCLUSION Toxoplasmosis may enhance the risk of venous thromboembolism in patients showing factor V Leiden mutation heterozygosis.