All autoimmune diseases substantially increase the risk of pulmonary embolism and should be considered as hypercoagulable disorders which may benefit from preventive therapy, a new study has concluded.
Based on an analysis of the entire Swedish population, it identified more than 500,000 patients without a prior history of venous thromboembolism who were admitted to hospital because an autoimmune disorder between 1964 and 2008. The researchers analysed 33 separate autoimmune conditions including rheumatoid arthritis, Crohn’s disease, type 1 diabetes, Addison’s disease and Graves’ disease.
In the year following the hospital admission, the overall risk of pulmonary embolism was six-fold higher in patients with autoimmune diseases compared to the general population.
The standardised incidence ratio (SIR) peaked at 16.4 in patients with...
This site is intended for Registered Medical Practitioners.
To make the most of Endocrinology Update, you need to be logged in.