Researchers have found in a nationwide cohort study that Sarcoidosis was associated with long-term risk of venous thromboembolism.
A growing body of evidence implies that Chronic inflammation is a precursor to venous thromboembolism (VTE). However, unlike other inflammatory conditions such as systemic lupus erythematosus and rheumatoid arthritis, data on the risk of VTE in individuals with sarcoidosis are scarce.
Do individuals with sarcoidosis have a greater long-term risk of developing VTE (pulmonary embolism or deep venous thrombosis) compared to the general population?
Danish nationwide registries were used. Patients >18 years with newly diagnosed sarcoidosis (>2 in/outpatient visits, 1996-2020) without prior VTE were matched 1:4 by age, sex, and comorbidities with individuals from the background population. Venous thromboembolism was the primary outcome.
Key findings from the study are:
· 14,742 patients with sarcoidosis and 58,968 matched individuals of median age 44.7 years were included.
· Of these patients, 57.2% were males.
· The median follow-up duration was 8.8 years.
· The absolute 10-year risks of VTE, pulmonary embolism, and deep venous thrombosis for patients with sarcoidosis were 2.9%, 1.5%, and 1.6%, respectively, compared to 1.6%, 0.7%, and 1.0% in the background population.
· Sarcoidosis was associated with an increased rate of all outcomes in the first year after diagnosis and after the first year compared with the background population.
· Excluding cancer patients and censoring those with incident cancer, the associations persisted.
· Three-month mortality was not significantly different between VTE patients with and without sarcoidosis (adjusted HR 0.84)
The occurrence of VTE during sarcoidosis is associated with a more severe disease and a poorer prognosis. The occurrence of VTE during sarcoidosis might signal a more inflammatory and/or evolutive disease in sarcoidosis/VTE patients and should be taken in consideration when designing therapeutic strategies for them.
In this nationwide cohort study, sarcoidosis was associated with an increased long-term risk of developing venous thromboembolism (VTE) compared to a matched background population.
Reference:
Yafasova A et al. Long-term risk of venous thromboembolism in sarcoidosis: a nationwide cohort study. Chest. 2024 Jan 29:S0012-3692(24)00134-X. doi: 10.1016/j.chest.2024.01.042.