VTE Recurrence (vte + recurrence)

Distribution by Scientific Domains


Selected Abstracts


Patients with a first symptomatic unprovoked deep vein thrombosis are at higher risk of recurrent venous thromboembolism than patients with a first unprovoked pulmonary embolism

JOURNAL OF THROMBOSIS AND HAEMOSTASIS, Issue 9 2010
M. J. KOVACS
Summary.,Background:,Previous studies are mixed as to whether patients with unprovoked pulmonary embolism (PE) have a higher rate of venous thromboembolism (VTE) recurrence after anticoagulation is discontinued than patients with unprovoked deep vein thrombosis (DVT). Objectives:,To determine whether patients with unprovoked PE have a higher rate of VTE recurrence than patients with unprovoked DVT in a prospective multicenter cohort study. Patients/Methods:,Six hundred and forty-six patients with a first episode of symptomatic unprovoked VTE were treated with heparin and subsequent oral anticoagulation for 5,7 months, and were followed every 6 months for recurrent VTE after their anticoagulant therapy was discontinued. Results:,Of 646 patients, 194 had isolated PE, 339 had isolated DVT, and 113 had both DVT and PE. After a mean of 18 months of follow-up, there were 91 recurrent VTE events (9.5% annualized risk of recurrent VTE in the total population). The crude recurrent VTE rate for the isolated PE, isolated DVT and DVT and PE groups were 7.7%, 16.5% and 17.7%, respectively. The relative risk of recurrent VTE for isolated DVT vs. isolated PE was 2.1 (95% confidence interval 1.2,3.7). Conclusions:,This study has demonstrated that patients with a first episode of unprovoked isolated DVT are 2.1 times more likely to have a recurrent VTE episode than patients with a first episode of unprovoked isolated PE. These findings need to be considered when determining the optimal duration of anticoagulant therapy for patients with unprovoked VTE. [source]


Sex, age and normal post-anticoagulation D-dimer as risk factors for recurrence after idiopathic venous thromboembolism in the Prolong study extension

JOURNAL OF THROMBOSIS AND HAEMOSTASIS, Issue 9 2010
B. COSMI
Summary.,Background:,The PROLONG randomized study showed that patients with an abnormal D-dimer after anticoagulation suspension for a first unprovoked episode of venous thromboembolism (VTE) benefited from anticoagulation resumption. Patients with normal D-dimer after anticoagulation suspension had a low recurrence rate (4.4% patient,years) but their anticoagulation optimal duration remained uncertain. Objectives:,To assess whether sex and age, in combination with normal D-dimer, are risk factors for VTE recurrence in patients enrolled in the PROLONG study extended follow-up. Methods:,D-dimer was measured at 1 month after anticoagulation suspension. Patients with a normal D-dimer did not resume anticoagulants, whereas patients with an abnormal D-dimer were randomized either to resume or not anticoagulants. Primary outcome was recurrent VTE. Results:,After excluding patients resuming anticoagulants for abnormal D-dimer, recurrences were higher in males than females [7.4% patient-years , 47/639 vs. 4.3% patient-years , 27/626; hazard ratio (HR) = 1.7; P = 0.027] and in patients aged 65 or older than in younger patients (8.4% patient-years , 50/598 vs. 3.6% patient-years , 24/667; HR = 2.1; P = 0.003). In patients with normal D-dimer and younger than 65, recurrences were higher in males than in females (5.1% vs. 0.4% patient,years; adjusted HR = 10.6; P = 0.023) and both females and males aged 65 years or older had more recurrences (6.6% and 8.1% patient-years, respectively, adjusted HR: 16.0; P = 0.008 and 16.0; P = 0.008, respectively) than females younger than 65. Conclusions:,In patients with idiopathic VTE and a normal D-dimer at 1 month after anticoagulation suspension, females younger than 65 had a very low risk of recurrence. [source]


Venous thromboembolism: disease burden, outcomes and risk factors

JOURNAL OF THROMBOSIS AND HAEMOSTASIS, Issue 8 2005
J. A. HEIT
Summary., The epidemiology of venous thromboembolism (VTE) in the community has important implications for VTE prevention and management. This review describes the disease burden (incidence), outcomes (survival, recurrence and complications) and risk factors for deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism occurring in the community. Recent comprehensive studies of the epidemiology of VTE that reported the racial demography and included the full spectrum of disease occurring within a well-defined geographic area over time, separated by event type, incident vs. recurrent event and level of diagnostic certainty, were reviewed. Studies of VTE outcomes had to include a relevant duration of follow-up. VTE incidence among whites of European origin exceeded 1 per 1000; the incidence among persons of African and Asian origin may be higher and lower, respectively. VTE incidence over recent time remains unchanged. Survival after VTE is worse than expected, especially for pulmonary embolism. Thirty percent of patients develop VTE recurrence and venous stasis syndrome. Exposures can identify populations at risk but have a low predictive value for the individual. An acquired or familial thrombophilia may predict the subset of exposed persons who actually develop symptomatic VTE. In conclusion, VTE is a common, lethal disease that recurs frequently and causes serious long-term complications. To improve survival and prevent complications, VTE occurrence must be reduced. Better individual risk stratification is needed in order to modify exposures and target primary and secondary prophylaxis to the person who would benefit most. [source]


High plasma levels of factor VIII and risk of recurrence of venous thromboembolism

BRITISH JOURNAL OF HAEMATOLOGY, Issue 4 2004
Legnani Cristina
Summary The aim of this study was to evaluate the relationship between factor VIII (FVIII) levels, measured by chromogenic and clotting assays, and risk of venous thromboembolism (VTE) recurrence. A total of 564 patients underwent clinical follow-up after oral anticoagulant withdrawal (total follow-up = 924·4 years). Recurrent VTE developed in 39 of 309 (12·6%) patients with a first idiopathic VTE and in 14 of 255 (5·5%) patients whose first event was secondary. In patients with a first idiopathic VTE, the risk of recurrence was more than fivefold higher in patients with FVIII levels exceeding the 90th percentile [chromogenic FVIII: relative risk (RR) 5·43 (95% CI 1·76,16·8); clotting FVIII: RR 6·21 (95% CI 1·57,24·5)] after adjustment for all possible confounding variables. In patients with a first secondary VTE, the risk of recurrence was slightly higher in patients with high FVIII levels [chromogenic FVIII: RR 2·62 (95% CI 0·34,19·9); clotting FVIII: RR 1·74 (95% CI 0·25,12·1)], but, given the low number of recurrences, the 95% CI were very large. In conclusion, this study shows that high FVIII levels are associated with increased risk of VTE recurrence in patients with a first idiopathic VTE. Although the measurement of FVIII levels by a specific chromogenic assay might, in principle, be preferred to avoid the risk of aspecific clotting effects, no significant differences in results obtained by chromogenic or clotting methods were found. [source]


Factor V Leiden mutation carriership and venous thromboembolism in polycythemia vera and essential thrombocythemia

AMERICAN JOURNAL OF HEMATOLOGY, Issue 1 2002
Marco Ruggeri
Abstract Polycythemia Vera (PV) and Essential Thrombocythemia (ET) are chronic myeloproliferative disorders complicated by a high incidence of thrombotic complications. Extensive coagulation studies failed to demonstrate a consistent pattern of abnormalities associated with thrombosis. Recently, a poor anticoagulant response to activated protein C (APC), due to a mutation of factor V (FV Leiden), has been identified as the most frequent hereditary disorder associated with venous thrombophilia. We investigated in 304 patients with PV and ET whether the presence of FV Leiden could be a risk factor for thrombosis. FV Leiden was found in 14/304 patients (4.6%) and was associated with venous thromboembolism (VTE) occurred before and at diagnosis (5/27,16%, with a significant difference of prevalence in comparison of that observed in asymptomatic patients, 9/263, 3%, p = 0.003). Carriership of FV Leiden was associated with VTE relapse, with a prevalence of 3.6% in asymptomatic patients, 6.9% in patients with a single episode of VTE and 18.1% in patients with recurrent VTE. The prevalence of FV Leiden in patients with and without arterial thrombosis was similar (5/79, 6% and 9/211, 4%, respectively, p = 0.337). This study indicates that the prevalence of the FV Leiden mutation in patients with PV and ET is comparable with that observed in the general population. FV Leiden mutation is a risk factor for VTE before and at time of diagnosis and for VTE recurrences. Screening for FV Leiden may be considered to identify PV and ET patients at higher risk of recurrences. Am. J. Hematol. 71:1,6, 2002. © 2002 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source]