Sultan Zaffar Akhtar, Samina Zahid, Mohammad Naeem, Mohammad Tahir.
Thrombocytopenia due to heparin in hemodialysis patients.
J Postgrad Med Inst Jan ;23(2):146-8.

Objectives: To study thrombocytopenia due to heparin in haemodialysis patients. Material And Methods: This study was conducted in the Dialysis section of Nephrology Department Post Graduate Medical Institute, Lady Reading Hospital, Peshawar from January 2002 to December 2002. Patients with diagnosis of End Stage Renal Failure (ESRF), on maintenance haemodialysis for at least 3 months, were studied for thrombocytopenia due to heparin. Inclusion criteria: Were All those patients were included in the study that were known case of End Stage Renal Failure (ESRF) and were on maintenance haemodialysis for at least three months or more. All age groups between 40 years and 60 years were included. Both male and female were included. Onlyi Patients were included. Exclusion criteria: Were Patients on dialysis in whom the cause of renal impairment is not yet found. Patients on haemodialysis maintenance for less than three months. Thrombocytopenia in ESRF patients due to some other cause. Age group below 40 years and above 60 years were excluded. Results: Total number of haemodialysis performed in 276 ESRF patients were 3675 sessions. The mean age of the patients with thrombocytopenia due to heparin was 50 years (Range 40 – 60 years). The total number of patients sustained thrombocytopenia due to heparin were 15. Nine (60%) were female and six (40%) were males. It was found that out of 276 ESRF patients who were on regular haemodialysis only nine (3.2%) patients had complications due to thrombocytopenia because of heparin. Conclusion: Thrombocytopenia due to heparin was studied for the first time in NWFP and it was found that a minority of patients on maintenance haemodialysis develop thrombocytopenia due to heparin.

PakMediNet -Pakistan's largest Database of Pakistani Medical Journals - http://www.pakmedinet.com