Venous thromboembolism characteristics, treatment and outcomes in young adults: findings from the Registro Informatizado de Enfermedad TromboEmbólica registry.

BACKGROUND: Venous thromboembolism (VTE) is rare in patients aged <21 years. Young adults aged 18 to 21 years are frequently included in adult VTE studies, whereas pediatric VTE studies include patients aged up to either 18 or 21 years. The clinical characteristics of young adult patients with VTE have not been well defined. OBJECTIVES: We aimed to highlight any unique characteristics or treatment considerations that may apply to young adult patients with VTE. METHODS: Data from the prospective, international Registro Informatizado de Enfermedad TromboEmbólica registry were used. Patients were stratified into subcohorts according to age. The clinical characteristics, risk factors, management, and outcomes of young adult patients with VTE were compared with those of adolescents aged 12 to 18 years and adults aged >21 years. RESULTS: Of 104 253 Registro Informatizado de Enfermedad TromboEmbólica patients enrolled until August 2022, 234 were adolescents and 884 were young adults. Less cases of pulmonary embolism were reported in adolescents (P < .001). Estrogen use was a common risk factor, more prevalent in adolescents and young adults (P < .001), whereas active cancer and immobilization were uncommon in both. Most patients were initially treated with low-molecular-weight heparin. VTE recurrence, major bleeding, and all-cause mortality rates were comparably low among adolescents and young adults. None of the patients aged <21 years died from VTE recurrence. CONCLUSION: Young adults have some distinctive VTE risk factors. While VTE presentation may be similar among young adults and older patients, the outcomes of patients aged <21 years are more favorable.

Venous thromboembolism in young adults: Findings from the RIETE registry.

BACKGROUND: Little is known on the clinical characteristics, risk factors and outcomes during anticoagulation in young patients with acute venous thromboembolism (VTE). METHODS: We used data from the RIETE (Registro Informatizado Enfermedad TromboEmbólica) registry to assess the clinical characteristics, risk factors and outcomes during anticoagulation in VTE patients aged 10-24 years. Data were separately analyzed according to initial presentation and gender. RESULTS: Of 76,719 patients with VTE, 1571 (2.0%) were aged 10-24 years. Of these, 989 (63%) were women and 669 (43%) presented with pulmonary embolism (PE). Most women were using estrogens (680, 69%) or were pregnant (101, 10%), while 59% of men had unprovoked VTE. Women were more likely to present with PE (48% vs. 34%). The majority (87%) of PE patients had Sat O2 levels ≥90% at baseline. The vast majority (97%) of PE patients were at low risk according to the PESI score, many (90%) at very low risk. During the course of anticoagulation (median, 192 days), 40 patients had VTE recurrences, 17 had major bleeding and 10 died (3 died of PE). Women had as many VTE recurrences as major bleeds (15 vs. 14 events), while men had many more VTE recurrences than major bleeding (25 vs. 3 events). CONCLUSIONS: VTE is associated with low risk of short-term mortality in young adults. Noticeable gender differences exist in the risk factor profile and the risk of VTE recurrences and major bleeding in the course of anticoagulation.

Venous thromboembolism in centenarians: Findings from the RIETE registry.

BACKGROUND: The balance between the efficacy and safety of anticoagulant therapy in patients aged ≥100years receiving anticoagulant therapy for venous thromboembolism (VTE) is uncertain. METHODS: We used data from the RIETE (Registro Informatizado Enfermedad TromboEmbólica) database to assess the rate of VTE recurrences, bleeding events, and mortality appearing during the course of anticoagulant therapy in VTE patients aged ≥100years. RESULTS: Of 61,173 patients enrolled in RIETE as of January 2016, 47 (0.08%) were aged ≥100years. Of these, 10 (21%) were men, 21 (45%) presented with pulmonary embolism (PE), and 26 with deep vein thrombosis alone. Overall, 35 patients (74%) had severe renal insufficiency, 14 (30%) chronic heart failure, 30 (64%) anemia, 16 (34%) were taking antiplatelets, and 6 (13%) corticosteroids or non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. Most patients (95%) were treated initially with low-molecular-weight heparin (LMWH) (mean daily dose, 168±42IU/kg). Then, 14 (30%) switched to vitamin K antagonists and 29 (62%) kept receiving long-term LMWH therapy (mean, 148±51IU/kg/day). During the course of anticoagulant therapy (mean duration, 139days), mortality was high (15/47; 32%). Two patients died of PE (initial PE one, recurrent PE one) and 5 (11%) had minor bleeding, but no major bleeding was reported. CONCLUSIONS: Among patients with acute VTE aged ≥100years, the risk of VTE recurrences during the course of anticoagulation outweighed the risk of bleeding. Our data suggest the use of standard anticoagulant therapy in this patient population, even if they have severe renal insufficiency.

Antithrombotic treatment in elderly patients with atrial fibrillation: a practical approach.

BACKGROUND: Atrial fibrillation (AF) in the elderly is a complex condition. It has a direct impact on the underuse of antithrombotic therapy reported in this population. DISCUSSION: All patients aged ≥75 years with AF have an individual yearly risk of stroke >4 %. However, the risk of hemorrhage is also increased. Moreover, in this population it is common the presence of other comorbidities, cognitive disorders, risk of falls and polymedication. This may lead to an underuse of anticoagulant therapy. Direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs) are at least as effective as conventional therapy, but with lesser risk of intracranial hemorrhage. The simplification of treatment with these drugs may be an advantage in patients with cognitive impairment. The great majority of elderly patients with AF should receive anticoagulant therapy, unless an unequivocal contraindication. DOACs may be the drugs of choice in many elderly patients with AF. In this manuscript, the available evidence about the management of anticoagulation in elderly patients with AF is reviewed. In addition, specific practical recommendations about different controversial issues (i.e. patients with anemia, thrombocytopenia, risk of gastrointestinal bleeding, renal dysfunction, cognitive impairment, risk of falls, polymedication, frailty, etc.) are provided.

Validation of a score for predicting fatal bleeding in patients receiving anticoagulation for venous thromboembolism.

BACKGROUND: The only available score to assess the risk for fatal bleeding in patients with venous thromboembolism (VTE) has not been validated yet. METHODS: We used the RIETE database to validate the risk-score for fatal bleeding within the first 3 months of anticoagulation in a new cohort of patients recruited after the end of the former study. Accuracy was measured using the ROC curve analysis. RESULTS: As of December 2011, 39,284 patients were recruited in RIETE. Of these, 15,206 had not been included in the former study, and were considered to validate the score. Within the first 3 months of anticoagulation, 52 patients (0.34%; 95% CI: 0.27-0.45) died of bleeding. Patients with a risk score of <1.5 points (64.1% of the cohort) had a 0.10% rate of fatal bleeding, those with a score of 1.5-4.0 (33.6%) a rate of 0.72%, and those with a score of >4 points had a rate of 1.44%. The c-statistic for fatal bleeding was 0.775 (95% CI 0.720-0.830). The score performed better for predicting gastrointestinal (c-statistic, 0.869; 95% CI: 0.810-0.928) than intracranial (c-statistic, 0.687; 95% CI: 0.568-0.806) fatal bleeding. The score value with highest combined sensitivity and specificity was 1.75. The risk for fatal bleeding was significantly increased (odds ratio: 7.6; 95% CI 3.7-16.2) above this cut-off value. CONCLUSIONS: The accuracy of the score in this validation cohort was similar to the accuracy found in the index study. Interestingly, it performed better for predicting gastrointestinal than intracranial fatal bleeding.

Predicting recurrences or major bleeding in cancer patients with venous thromboembolism. Findings from the RIETE Registry.

Cancer patients with acute venous thromboembolism (VTE) have an increased incidence of recurrences and bleeding complications while on anticoagulant therapy. Methods RIETE is an ongoing registry of consecutive patients with acute VTE. We tried to identify which cancer patients are at a higher risk for recurrent pulmonary embolism (PE), deep vein thrombosis (DVT) or major bleeding. Up to May 2007, 3,805 cancer patients had been enrolled in RIETE. During the first three months of follow-up after the acute, index VTE event, 90 (2.4%) patients developed recurrent PE, 100 (2.6%) recurrent DVT, 156 (4.1%) had major bleeding. Forty patients (44%) died of the recurrent PE,46 (29%) of bleeding. On multivariate analysis, patients aged <65 years (odds ratio [OR]: 3.0; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.9-4.9), with PE at entry (OR: 1.9; 95% CI: 1.2-3.1), or with <3 months from cancer diagnosis to VTE (OR: 2.0; 95% CI: 1.2-3.2) had an increased incidence of recurrent PE. Those aged <65 years (OR: 1.6; 95% CI: 1.0-2.4) or with <3 months from cancer diagnosis (OR: 2.4; 95% CI: 1.5-3.6) had an increased incidence of recurrent DVT. Finally, patients with immobility (OR: 1.8; 95% CI: 1.2-2.7), metastases (OR: 1.6; 95% CI: 1.1-2.3), recent bleeding (OR: 2.4; 95% CI: 1.1-5.1), or with creatinine clearance <30 ml/min (OR: 2.2; 95% CI: 1.5-3.4), had an increased incidence of major bleeding. With some variables available at entry we may identify those cancer patients with VTE at a higher risk for recurrences or major bleeding.

Secondary prevention of arterial disease in very elderly people: results from a prospective registry (FRENA).

There is little information on the effectiveness of secondary prevention interventions in very elderly patients. In this article, the incidence of major cardiovascular events during a 12-month follow-up period in a series of consecutive patients with coronary, cerebrovascular, or peripheral artery disease is analyzed. As of October 2006, 1264 patients had been enrolled. Of these, 324 (26%) were >or=75 years of age. Their incidence rate of 22 events per 100 patient-years (95% CI, 17-28) was over 2-fold the 7.9 (95% CI, 6.2-10) found in those <75 years of age. Among them, only chronic heart failure and diabetes were independently associated with an increased risk for major events, whereas the use of angiotensin II antagonists was associated with a lower risk. Patients >or=75 years of age had an over 2-fold higher incidence of major cardiovascular events. The use of angiotensin II antagonists was associated with a lower risk.

D-dimer levels correlate with mortality in patients with acute pulmonary embolism: Findings from the RIETE registry.

OBJECT: Few studies have addressed the prognostic implications of D-dimer in patients with pulmonary embolism. The aim of this study was to investigate the correlation between D-dimer levels and mortality in patients with pulmonary embolism. DESIGN: Observational study. SETTING: Hospitals participating in the Registro Informatizado de la Enfermedad Tromboembólica (RIETE). PATIENTS: A total of 588 consecutive patients with symptomatic pulmonary embolism who were included in the RIETE between March 2001 and December 2004. INTERVENTIONS: Quantitative D-dimer measurement was performed on admission using an automated latex agglutination test (IL Test D-dimer). All patients underwent clinical follow-up for 3 months. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Overall mortality rate was 10.5%. The cause of death was pulmonary embolism in 18 patients (3.0%), fatal bleeding in one patient (0.2%), and other causes in 43 patients (7.3%). There were 28 (4.8%) nonfatal venous thromboembolism recurrences and 35 (6.0%) nonfatal bleeding episodes. The incidence of D-dimer 500-2499 ng/mL, D-dimer 2500-4999 ng/mL, and D-dimer >or=5000 ng/mL was 47.8%, 26.0%, and 20.4%, respectively. Compared with patients with D-dimer 500-2499 ng/mL, the relative risk (odds ratio) of overall mortality was 1.91 (95% confidence interval 0.91-4.09) and 2.94 (95% confidence interval 1.42-6.25) in patients with D-dimer 2500-4999 ng/mL and D-dimer >or= 5000 ng/mL, respectively (p = .032). Patients with D-dimer >or=5000 ng/mL showed higher risk of death from fatal pulmonary embolism (odds ratio 4.4, 95% confidence interval 0.5-33.0) than death from other causes (odds ratio 2.1, 95% confidence interval 0.7-6.0). Elevated D-dimer levels were associated with more severe disease, as assessed by clinical features. CONCLUSIONS: In patients who present with pulmonary embolism, D-dimer concentration is an independent predictive factor associated with all-cause and pulmonary embolism-related death. D-dimer >or=5000 ng/mL occurs in about one in five patients and is associated with a 2.9-fold increased risk of overall mortality. These results suggest that D-dimer quantification could be a useful biomarker and help determine initial therapies.