Depression and anxiety up to two years after acute pulmonary embolism: Prevalence and predictors

Stress-Induced Hypercoagulability: Insights from Epidemiological and Mechanistic Studies, and Clinical Integration

By integrating findings from comprehensive reviews, meta-analyses, and cutting-edge genetic studies, this article illuminates the significance of stress-induced hypercoagulability in clinical medicine. In particular, the findings from numerous prospective cohort studies indicate that stress and hemostatic factors of a hypercoagulable state are associated with increased incident risk and poor prognosis for atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease and venous thromboembolism. Mendelian randomization studies suggest that these associations are partially causal. The review synthesizes extensive research on the link between acute and chronic stress and hypercoagulability, outlining a potential pathway from stress to thrombosis risk. Consistent with the allostatic load concept, acute stress-induced hypercoagulability, initially adaptive, can turn maladaptive under chronic stress or excessive acute stress, leading to arterial or venous thrombotic events. Individuals with predisposing factors, including atherosclerosis, thrombophilia, or immobilization, may exhibit an increased risk of thrombotic disease during stress. Contextual sociodemographic characteristics, the stress experience, and coping resources additionally modulate the extent of stress-induced hypercoagulability. Research into the neuroendocrine, cellular, and molecular bases reveals how stress influences platelet activation coagulation and fibrinolysis. The activation of the sympathetic nervous system and the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, along with vagal withdrawal, and the effects of catecholamines, cortisol, and vasopressin, are the central mechanisms involved. Hemoconcentration, inflammation, endothelial dysfunction, and thrombopoiesis additionally contribute to stress-induced hypercoagulability. Further research is needed to prove a causal link between chronic stress and hypercoagulability. This includes exploring its implications for the prevention and management of thrombotic diseases in stressed individuals, with a focus on developing effective psychosocial and pharmacological interventions.

Non-pharmacological rehabilitation interventions for individuals with antiphospholipid syndrome: A scoping review

OBJECTIVE

The objective of this study was to explore what non-pharmacological interventions have been examined for individuals with antiphospholipid syndrome (APS).

METHODS

We conducted a systematic literature search of the databases PubMed, Embase, Scopus, Web of Science, CINAHL, and ClinicalTrials.gov from 1983-Feb. 2023. Our scoping review included studies that examined non-pharmacological interventions for individuals with APS using patient-reported outcome measures. We excluded studies that reported physiological outcomes only.

RESULTS

The review yielded one case study on the safety and efficacy of an exercise program for a 15-year-old male with secondary APS using physiological and patient-reported outcome measures. Despite the lack of evidence of non-pharmacological interventions for individuals with APS, one excluded study reported that individuals with APS want guidance about physical activity and exercise. We also found several types of potentially relevant non-pharmacological interventions for individuals with lupus, a disease that often co-occurs with APS.

CONCLUSIONS

Non-pharmacological interventions may offer a solution for addressing some non-thrombotic or non-obstetric APS symptoms, such as neurological, physical, and cognitive symptoms that are not well-controlled by anticoagulation. Due to the unique risks associated with APS, research is needed to determine the safety and efficacy of non-pharmacological interventions, particularly those involving exercise. Adopting a comprehensive, multidisciplinary approach to managing patients with APS and involving rehabilitation professionals, who are experts in the design and delivery of non-pharmacological interventions, may provide a foundation for developing and testing novel interventions that improve health outcomes while also fulfilling unmet needs reported by patients.

Healthcare resource utilisation and associated costs after low-risk pulmonary embolism: pre-specified analysis of the Home Treatment of Pulmonary Embolism (HoT-PE) study

BACKGROUND

Pulmonary embolism (PE) and its sequelae impact healthcare systems globally. Low-risk PE patients can be managed with early discharge strategies leading to cost savings, but post-discharge costs are undetermined.

PURPOSE

To define healthcare resource utilisation and overall costs during follow-up of low-risk PE.

METHODS

We used an incidence-based, bottom-up approach and calculated direct and indirect costs over 3-month follow-up after low-risk PE, with data from the Home Treatment of Patients with Low-Risk Pulmonary Embolism (HoT-PE) cohort study.

RESULTS

Average 3-month costs per patient having suffered low-risk PE were 7029.62 €; of this amount, 4872.93 € were associated with PE, accounting to 69.3% of total costs. Specifically, direct costs totalled 3019.33 €, and of those, 862.64 € (28.6%) were associated with PE. Anticoagulation (279.00 €), rehospitalisations (296.83 €), and ambulatory visits (194.95 €) comprised the majority of the 3-month direct costs. The remaining costs amounting to 4010.29 € were indirect costs due to loss of productivity.

CONCLUSION

In a patient cohort with acute low-risk PE followed over 3 months, the majority of costs were indirect costs related to productivity loss, whereas direct, PE-specific post-discharge costs were low. Effective interventions are needed to reduce the burden of PE and associated costs, especially those related to productivity loss.

Comparison of important factors to patients recovering from pulmonary embolism and items covered in patient-reported outcome measures: A mixed-methods systematic review

OBJECTIVE

Up to 50 % of patients recovering from pulmonary embolism (PE) experience negative long-term outcomes. Patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) are important in identifying what matters to patients. We aimed to identify PROMs used in clinical studies and recommended by the International Consortium of Health Outcomes (ICHOM) and compare individual items with factors considered important by patients recovering from PE.

METHODS

This was a convergent mixed-methods systematic review, including quantitative studies, using PROMs and qualitative studies with non-cancer-related PE patients. Items from each PROM and qualitative findings were categorised using an International Classification of Function linking process to allow for integrated synthesis.

RESULTS

A total of 68 studies using 34 different PROMs with 657 items and 13 qualitative studies with 408 findings were included. A total of 104 individual ICF codes were used, and subsequently sorted into 20 distinct categories representing patient concerns. Identified PROMs were found to adequately cover 17/20 categories, including anxiety, fear of bleeding, stress, depression, dizziness/nausea, sleep disturbance, pain, dyspnea, fatigue, activity levels, family and friends, socializing, outlook on life, and medical treatment. PROMs from the ICHOM core set covered the same categories, except for dizziness/nausea.

CONCLUSIONS

No single PROM covered all aspects assessed as important by the PE population. PROMs recommended in the ICHOM core set cover 16/20 aspects. However, worrisome thoughts, hypervigilance around symptoms, and uncertainty of illness were experienced by patients with PE but were not covered by PROMS.

Functional capacity and dyspnea during follow-up after acute pulmonary embolism

BACKGROUND

Dissecting the determinants of functional capacity during long-term follow-up after acute pulmonary embolism (PE) can help to better characterize a patient population with persisting limitation.

METHODS

In a prospective cohort study, consecutive unselected survivors of acute PE underwent 3- and 12-month follow-up, including six-minute walking distance (6MWD) and dyspnea assessment with the modified Medical Research Council (mMRC) scale. We used reference equations adjusting for age, sex, and anthropometric measurements to define abnormal 6MWD.

RESULTS

Overall, 323 of 363 (89.0%) patients had at least one recorded 6MWD value at one year. At 3 months, the prevalence of abnormal 6MWD was 21.9% and at 12 months it was 18.3%. At 3 and 12 months, 58.8% and 52.1% with abnormal 6MWD did not report dyspnea, respectively. On average and during follow-up, 6MWD significantly improved with time, while the mMRC dyspnea scale did not. Abnormal 6MWD was associated with younger age (odds ratio per decade, 0.91; 95% CI, 0.88-0.94), higher body mass index (1.10; 1.03-1.17), smoking (3.53; 1.34-9.31), intermediate- or high-risk PE (3.21; 1.21-8.56), and higher mMRC grading (2.28; 1.59-3.27). Abnormal 6MWD at 3 months was associated with the prospectively defined endpoint of post-PE impairment (3.72; 1.50-9.28) and with poor disease-specific and generic health-related quality of life.

CONCLUSION

Three months after PE, 37% of patients reported dyspnea and 22% had abnormal 6MWD. After a year, 20% still had abnormal 6MWD. Dyspnea correlated with abnormal 6MWD, but over 50% of patients with abnormal 6MWD did not report dyspnea. Abnormal 6MWD predicted subsequent post-pulmonary embolism impairment and worse long-term quality of life.

CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION

German Clinical Trials Register Identifier DRKS00005939.

Health literacy in patients with pulmonary embolism: development and validation of the HeLP (Health Literacy in Pulmonary Embolism)-Questionnaire

Background

Pulmonary embolism (PE) is a common cardiovascular disease and health literacy is necessary to deal with its consequences after the acute event. The aim of this study was to develop and validate a new questionnaire to measure PE-specific health literacy.

Methods

A mixed-methods design with qualitative and quantitative elements was used in the development process. A literature review about health literacy concepts and instruments and interviews with patients with PE and clinicians were conducted. Quantitative analyses included factor analyses, item response theory with a graded partial credit model, and reliability analyses in different test and validation samples. Furthermore, convergent and known-groups validity and responsiveness were assessed.

Results

The qualitative results supported a concept of PE-related health literacy with four main topics: dealing with PE-related health information, disease management, health-related selfcare, and social support. An initial item pool of 91 items was developed. Further interviews and an online survey with patients with PE (n = 1,013) were used to reduce the number of items and to confirm structural validity. Confirmatory factor analyses in the final evaluation study with patients with PE (n = 238) indicated a good model fit of the four-factor structure. The Health Literacy in Pulmonary Embolism (HeLP)-Questionnaire showed good reliability (Cronbach's alpha: 0.82 to 0.90). All four subscales were responsive toward receiving a brochure with PE-related health information.

Conclusion

The newly developed German HeLP Questionnaire comprises 23 items in four domains and showed good psychometric properties. Further evaluation of the questionnaire in different samples of patients with PE is needed.

Mental Health and Quality of Life in Pulmonary Embolism: A Literature Review

Pulmonary embolismis an acute disease with chronic complications and, although it is not considered a chronic disease, it requires close follow-up. The scope of the present literature review is to decode the existing data concerning quality of life and the mental health impact of PE during the acute and long-term phases of the disease. The majority of studies reported impaired quality of life in patients with PE when compared to population norms, both in the acute phase and >3 months after PE. Quality of life improves over time, irrespectively of the measurement used. Fear of recurrences, elderly, stroke, obesity, cancer and cardiovascular comorbidities are independently associated with worse QoL at follow-up. Although disease specific instruments exist (e.g., the Pulmonary Embolism Quality of Life questionnaire), further research is required in order to develop questionnaires that may fulfil international guideline requirements. The fear of recurrences and the development of chronic symptoms, such as dyspnea or functional limitations, may further impair the mental health burden of PE patients. Mental health may be implicated by post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety and depressive symptoms present following the acute event. Anxiety may persist for 2 years following diagnosis and may be exaggerated by persistent dyspnea and functional limitations. Younger patients are at higher risk of anxiety and trauma symptoms while elderly patients and patients with previous cardiopulmonary disease, cancer, obesity or persistent symptoms exhibit more frequently impaired QoL. The optimal strategy for the assessment of mental health in this patient pool is not well defined in the literature. Despite mental burden being common following a PE event, current guidelines have not incorporated the assessment or management of mental health issues. Further studies are warranted to longitudinally assess the psychological burden and elucidate the optimal follow-up approach.