Myocardial Infarction and Mortality Risk After Venous Thromboembolism
Author Information
Author(s): Huerta Consuelo, Johansson Saga, Wallander Mari-Ann, Rodríguez Luis A García
Primary Institution: Spanish Centre for Pharmacoepidemiologic Research (CEIFE), Madrid, Spain
Hypothesis
Does a diagnosis of venous thromboembolism (VTE) increase the long-term risk of myocardial infarction (MI)?
Conclusion
A VTE episode does not significantly increase the risk of MI, but does increase the risk of death, particularly in the first year following VTE diagnosis.
Supporting Evidence
- The incidence rate of MI was 4.1 per 1000 person-years for the VTE cohort and 3.5 for the control cohort.
- The risk of death was higher in the VTE cohort with a relative risk of 2.4 after adjusting for other conditions.
- The increased risk of death was particularly pronounced in the first year after VTE diagnosis.
Takeaway
If someone has a blood clot in their veins, it doesn't really make them more likely to have a heart attack later, but it does make them more likely to die, especially in the first year after the clot.
Methodology
The study compared the incidence of myocardial infarction in patients with VTE to a control group without VTE using data from the UK General Practice Research Database.
Potential Biases
Potential for information bias as patients may have had undiagnosed cardiovascular disease prior to the study.
Limitations
The study only involved a UK population sample and may not be generalizable; also, the limited number of MI cases in the VTE cohort means the study may not detect modest increases in MI risk.
Participant Demographics
Patients aged 20–79 years, with a mean follow-up of 3 years.
Statistical Information
P-Value
0.05
Confidence Interval
95% CI: 0.9–1.6 for MI; 95% CI: 2.2–2.6 for mortality
Statistical Significance
p<0.05
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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