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DOI: 10.1055/a-2688-4768
Epidemiology of Venous Thromboembolism in Belgium: A Cohort Study
Authors
Funding This work was supported by the Research Foundation Flanders (FWO) under grants G0C5319N, T004420N, and G025625N and by the Research Council of KU Leuven under grant C24M/21/025.
Abstract
Background
Venous thromboembolism (VTE) is a significant contributor to global morbidity and mortality. Although management strategies and the distribution of risk factors have evolved, contemporary epidemiologic data are limited and have not been previously reported for Belgium. We aimed to characterize the epidemiology of VTE in a contemporary Belgian population.
Methods
We conducted secondary analyses of 1,448 participants from the Flemish Study on Environment, Genes, and Health Outcomes (FLEMENGHO), an observational, community-based, prospective cohort study. VTE cases occurring between 2000 and 2024 were identified through standardized health questionnaires, medical records, and expert adjudication. The incidence and lifetime risk of VTE were determined, and risk factors for incident VTE were assessed using Cox regression.
Results
Between 2000 and 2024, 63 VTE events occurred during 34,906 person-years of follow-up, corresponding to an incidence rate of 1.80 per 1,000 person-years. At the age of 45, the estimated remaining lifetime risk of VTE was 8.2% (95% CI: 5.6–10.8). Isolated lower extremity deep vein thrombosis was the most common presentation (42.9%), followed by isolated pulmonary embolism (36.5%). Transient major risk factors were identified in 30.2% of cases. In multivariable analyses, higher BMI (adjusted hazard ratio [HRadj]: 1.48, 95% CI: 1.13–1.93) and a history of VTE (HRadj: 10.4, 95% CI: 4.1–26.3) were independent predictors of incident VTE.
Conclusion
Despite advancements in management strategies, the burden of VTE remained substantial in this representative and well-characterized Belgian cohort. The incidence rate is consistent with findings in other Western countries.
Authors' Contributions
A.V. and N.C.: retrieved the data, conducted the analyses, drafted the manuscript, and designed the tables and figures; A.V. and T.K.: adjudicated all ICD-coded events; S.H. and J.V.D.: contributed to the analyses and manuscript writing; K.F., P.V., T.K., and T.V.: supervised the study and provided substantial input. All authors reviewed the manuscript.
Data Availability Statement
Data are available for secondary analyses upon reasonable request to the senior author.
* Both the authors are co-first authors of this article.
Publikationsverlauf
Eingereicht: 12. Mai 2025
Angenommen: 10. August 2025
Accepted Manuscript online:
22. August 2025
Artikel online veröffentlicht:
08. September 2025
© 2025. The Author(s). This is an open access article published by Thieme under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, permitting unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction so long as the original work is properly cited. (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)
Georg Thieme Verlag KG
Oswald-Hesse-Straße 50, 70469 Stuttgart, Germany
Andreas Verstraete, Nicholas Cauwenberghs, Shayan Calhori, Joren Van Durme, Kathleen Freson, Peter Verhamme, Tatiana Kuznetsova, Thomas Vanassche. Epidemiology of Venous Thromboembolism in Belgium: A Cohort Study. TH Open 2025; 09: a26884768.
DOI: 10.1055/a-2688-4768
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