Masterclass series in peripheral arterial disease: Acquired thrombophilia

Peripheral arterial occlusion is a significant complication of several haematological and other systemic disorders (Table 1).

In each of these conditions there is a hypercoagulable state, although the pathogenetic mechanisms leading to thrombosis vary. Acute arterial events tend to occur in subjects with additional risk factors or who already have atherosclerotic disease. They are not confined to the peripheral circulation. In contrast to the inherited thrombophilias in the acquired thrombophilic conditions, there is generally a predisposition to both arterial and venous thromboembolism, and in some conditions to microvascular thrombosis.