Prevalence of venous thromboembolism at a teaching hospital in Okinawa, Japan

Mitsumasa Kishimoto; Hwee Yong Lim; Yasuharu Tokuda; Masashi Narita; Hidetaka Kitazono; Hiroki Ito; Todd B. Seto; Kenneth N. Sumida; Rebecca P. Gelber

doi:10.1160/TH04-08-0508

Thrombosis and Haemostasis, Table of Contents

Thromb Haemost 2005; 93(05): 876-879
DOI: 10.1160/TH04-08-0508

Blood Coagulation, Fibrinolysis and Cellular Haemostasis

Schattauer GmbH

Prevalence of venous thromboembolism at a teaching hospital in Okinawa, Japan

Authors

Mitsumasa Kishimoto

¹Division of Rheumatology, New York University, New York, USA, and Department of Public Health, Juntendo University, Tokyo, Japan

²Department of Medicine, University of Hawaii, John A. Burns School of Medicine, Honolulu, Hawaii, USA
Hwee Yong Lim

²Department of Medicine, University of Hawaii, John A. Burns School of Medicine, Honolulu, Hawaii, USA
Yasuharu Tokuda

³Department of Medicine, Okinawa Chubu Hospital, Okinawa, Japan
Masashi Narita

³Department of Medicine, Okinawa Chubu Hospital, Okinawa, Japan
Hidetaka Kitazono

³Department of Medicine, Okinawa Chubu Hospital, Okinawa, Japan
Hiroki Ito

²Department of Medicine, University of Hawaii, John A. Burns School of Medicine, Honolulu, Hawaii, USA
Todd B. Seto

²Department of Medicine, University of Hawaii, John A. Burns School of Medicine, Honolulu, Hawaii, USA
Kenneth N. Sumida

²Department of Medicine, University of Hawaii, John A. Burns School of Medicine, Honolulu, Hawaii, USA
Rebecca P. Gelber

²Department of Medicine, University of Hawaii, John A. Burns School of Medicine, Honolulu, Hawaii, USA

Abstract

Summary

Limited data suggest that Asian Americans may have a lower risk of venous thromboembolism (VTE) than Caucasians. However, the actual prevalence of VTE among Asians remains controversial, and has not been described in Japan. We studied all 131,060 patients hospitalized at a single medical centre in Japan (January 1987 – December 1999). Patients with VTE were identified through discharge diagnoses. Hospital records were reviewed for information on patient demographics, risk factors, and diagnostic modalities. VTE occurred in 0.11% of admissions (n=141, 95%CI 0.09–0.13%). Mean age (±SD) was 64±17 years, 70% were women, 91% had deep vein thrombosis, and 29% pulmonary embolism. Among hospitalized patients 50–69 years old, VTE was significantly more common among women than men (0.31% vs. 0.08%; OR 3.88; 95%CI 1.45–6.31). We found a low prevalence of VTE in Japan compared to that reported in the US. Future studies are needed to clarify the reasons for our findings.

Keywords

Thromboembolism - Japan - prevalence

Full Text

References

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