A Sole Case of Concurrent Arterial and Venous Thromboses with Massive Pulmonary Embolism and Carriage of Four Genetic Polymorphisms: Factor V Leiden, PAI-1 4G/5G, MTHFR C677T, and ACE I/D: A Case Report
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Introduction: Arterial and venous thromboses are typically distinct clinical entities, each governed by unique pathophysiological mechanisms. The concurrent manifestation of both, particularly in the setting of massive pulmonary embolism (PE), is exceptionally rare and poses significant diagnostic and therapeutic challenges. Case presentation: This report describes a 61-year-old male with well-controlled hypertension and type 2 diabetes who developed extensive thromboses involving deep vein thrombosis (DVT) of the right popliteal vein, arterial thrombosis of the left iliac artery, and massive PE. The patient was initially managed conservatively, in accordance with the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) 2019 Guidelines for Acute PE, using unfractionated heparin (UFH), low molecular weight heparin, a direct oral anticoagulant (DOAC), and adjunctive therapy. This approach was chosen due to the absence of hemodynamic instability. However, given failed percutaneous revascularization and persistent arterial occlusion, surgical thromboendarterectomy (TEA) was ultimately required. Post-hoc genetic testing was prompted by the complex presentation in the absence of classical provoking factors—such as trauma, surgery, malignancy, or antiphospholipid syndrome—consistent with recommendations for selective thrombophilia testing in atypical or severe cases. The analysis revealed four thrombophilia-associated polymorphisms: heterozygous Factor V Leiden (FVL; R506Q genotype), Plasminogen Activator Inhibitor-1 (PAI-1; 4G/5G genotype), Methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR; c.677C>T genotype), and homozygous Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme Insertion/Deletion (ACE I/D; DD genotype). Conclu-sions: While each variant has been individually associated with thrombotic risk, their co-occurrence in a single patient with simultaneous arterial and venous thromboses has not, to our knowledge, been previously documented. This case underscores the po-tential for gene–gene interactions to amplify thrombotic risk, even in the presence of variants traditionally considered to confer only modest to moderate risk. It highlights the need for a multidisciplinary approach and raises questions regarding pharmaco-genetics, anticoagulation, and future research into cumulative genetic risk in complex thrombotic phenotypes.