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

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.