Pulmonary embolism and deep vein thrombosis—comorbidities and temporary provoking factors in a register‐based study of 1.48 million people

Abstract

Abstract Background Knowledge on differences in patients who present with deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and those with pulmonary embolism (PE) is incomplete. Objective To determine comorbidities and temporary provoking factors in patients with a first‐time PE or DVT. Methods This was a nationwide Swedish registry‐based, retrospective, case‐control study including 298 172 patients with first‐time venous thromboembolism (VTE) and 1 185 079 controls matched for age, sex, and county of residence, free of VTE at the time of matching. Results Patients with PE were older than those with DVT (mean age, 69 vs 66 years) and included slightly more women (PE, 53.4% vs DVT, 52.1%). After multivariable adjustment for comorbidities (within 7 years) and temporary provoking factors (within 3 months), heart failure (PE: adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 2.64 [99% confidence interval [CI], 2.55‐2.73]; DVT: aOR, 1.66 [99% CI, 1.60‐1.72]), ischemic heart disease (PE: aOR, 1.51 [99% CI, 1.47‐1.56]; DVT: aOR, 1.01 [99% CI, 0.98‐1.04]), and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (PE: aOR, 2.51 [99% CI, 2.40‐2.63]; DVT, 1.54 [99% CI, 1.47‐1.62]) were among diseases that showed higher odds ratios in patients with PE than in those with DVT, compared with controls. Comorbidities registered within 6 months were associated with higher aORs than those within 7 years. The highest population attributable risks for PE were for cancer (13.0%) and heart failure (11.7%). Conclusion Cardiopulmonary diseases, particularly with recent onset, imply a higher risk for PE, whereas orthopedic surgery and lower‐extremity fractures carry a higher risk of DVT.

Keywords

• case‐control studies
• comorbidity
• deep vein thrombosis
• incidence
• pulmonary embolism
• registries