Historia natural de la enfermedad tromboembólica venosa en el área mediterránea. Una revisión sistemática

Incidence and Risk Factor Analysis of Thromboembolic Events in East Asian Patients With Inflammatory Bowel Disease, a Multinational Collaborative Study

BACKGROUND

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) increases the risk of venous thromboembolism (VTE) events. However, the incidence and necessity of prophylaxis for VTE in Asian IBD patients is unknown. We examined the incidence of VTE in East Asian IBD patients and analyze the possible risk factors.

METHODS

We conducted a multinational retrospective study of 2562 hospitalized IBD patients from 2010 to 2015. Moreover, a nationwide cohort study from 2001 to 2013 from the Taiwan National Health Insurance Research Database (NHIRD) was conducted to analyze the incidence rate of VTE in IBD and non-IBD patients.

RESULTS

In the hospitalized cohort, 24 IBD patients [17 ulcerative colitis (UC) and 7 Crohn's disease (CD)] received a VTE diagnosis (0.9%). These patients had a higher proportion of extensive UC (P = 0.04), penetrating-type CD (P < 0.01), and bowel operation history (P = 0.01). VTE was associated with low hemoglobin (P < 0.01), low platelet (P < 0.01), and low albumin (P < 0.01) levels. For the nation-wide cohort study, 3178 IBD patients and 31,780 age- and sex-matched non-IBD patients were analyzed. The average incidence rate was 1.15 per 1000 person-years in the IBD cohort and 0.51 in the non-IBD cohort. The relative risk was 2.27 (95% CI, 1.99-2.60).

CONCLUSIONS

East Asian IBD patients carry a 2-fold increased risk of VTE than the general population. The incidence of VTE in the East Asian IBD patients is still lower than that in Western countries. Therefore, close monitoring rather than routine prophylaxis of VTE in East Asian IBD patients is recommended.

Should lifelong anticoagulation for unprovoked venous thromboembolism be revisited?

Venous thromboembolism [VTE] is a common medical condition that has significant morbidity and mortality. Although stringent guidelines recommend lifelong anticoagulation for patients with unprovoked VTE, the optimal management strategy for their long term treatment remains controversial.

Whereas in cancer-associated VTE and second unprovoked VTE lifelong anticoagulation is universally accepted, a careful analysis of the benefit vs. risk of long-term anticoagulation following a first unprovoked VTE should be considered as case fatality rates [CFR] from VTE appear more pronounced in the first few months. The CFR from major bleeding remains constant throughout therapy. Therefore, the risk of bleeding may be underestimated over longer treatment periods relative to the morbidity of recurrent VTE which appears to peak in the first year. The current review highlights the balance between the recurrence risk and bleeding risks in the era of direct oral anticoagulants.

Vitamin K antagonists have been the standard of care for over 50 years bearing significant bleeding risks. The new oral anticoagulants [NOACs] have shown similar efficacy and perhaps a questionable improved safety profile when compared to warfarin.

Aspirin has historically not been a useful agent in the management of VTE. However, two recent trials [WARFASA and ASPIRE] showed a likely 20-30 % risk reduction when compared to placebo for recurrent VTE after initial anticoagulation. The risk of major hemorrhage was low in both trials.

With the emergence of NOACs and the increased utility of aspirin, there are multiple therapeutic options for long term management for VTE. Given comparable efficacy and improved safety of NOACs and aspirin, the risk benefit of anticoagulation is improving.

A risk stratification model may help identifying patients at high risk for recurrence necessitating a lifelong anticoagulation. This cohort should be separated from a low risk group that may benefit from clinical observation, aspirin or NOACs.

Prospective clinical trials are needed to support these clinical observations.