Allergy medicine may help treat DVT

Common anti-allergy medicines could prove to be an effective treatment for deep vein thrombosis (DVT) without the risk of bleeding, according to new research

Common anti-allergy medicines could prove to be an effective treatment for deep vein thrombosis (DVT), according to new research.

The research, funded by the British Heart Foundation, discovered that mice genetically depleted of mast cells, a type of immune cells, are protected from developing DVT.

Current treatments for DVT include anti-clotting drugs such as heparin and warfarin. These drugs are relatively effective but they put patients at increased risk of bleeding as they affect haemostasis, the body's natural response to blood vessel injury and bleeding.

Risk removed

In the study, researchers ‘turned off’ the gene that is responsible for producing mast cells. The research found