Annual diagnosis rate of superficial vein thrombosis of the lower limbs: the STEPH community‐based study

Abstract

Summary Background The incidence of superficial vein thrombosis (SVT) in the general adult population remains unknown. Objectives To assess the annual diagnosis rate of symptomatic, objectively confirmed lower limb SVT, associated or not with concomitant deep vein thrombosis and/or symptomatic pulmonary embolism. Methods/patients We conducted, from November 14, 2011, to November 13, 2012, a multicenter, community‐based study in the Saint‐Etienne urban area, France, representing a population of 265 687 adult residents (according to the 2009 census). All 248 general practitioners located within the area were asked to refer any patient with clinically suspected lower limb acute SVT to a vascular physician for systematic compression ultrasonography. All 28 vascular physicians located within the area participated in the study. The annual diagnosis rate, with the corresponding 95% confidence interval (CI), was calculated as the number of patients with symptomatic, objectively confirmed SVT divided by the number of person‐years at risk defined by population data of the area. All venous thromboembolic events were validated by an independent central adjudication committee. Results Overall, 171 patients with symptomatic, confirmed SVT were reported. The annual diagnosis rate was 0.64% (95% CI, 0.55%–0.74%), was higher in women, and increased with advancing age regardless of gender. Concomitant deep vein thrombosis (20 proximal) was observed in 42 patients (24.6% [95% CI, 18.3%–31.7%]), and concomitant symptomatic pulmonary embolism was observed in eight patients (4.7% [95% CI, 2.0%–9.0%]). Conclusions This first community‐based study showed that symptomatic SVT with confirmed diagnosis is a relatively common disease frequently associated with thromboembolic events in the deep venous system.

Oral Thrombus: Report of 122 cases with clinically descriptive data

“…Another strong risk factor, in women, is puerperium, hormone therapy, oral contraception (9,10) and pregnancy (11). However, in our study, the peak of incidence was not as higher in women during childbearing years (16-44 years) than men with a similar age, as seen in deep-vein thrombosis (11,12), and still lower than the incidence rate of older women (1,13). …”

A clinical score to rule out the concomitant presence of deep vein thrombosis in patients presenting with superficial vein thrombosis: The ICARO study

“…Superficial vein thrombosis of the lower extremities is a common disease, with an estimated incidence of 0.5-1 per 1000 inhabitants per year [11,12,3]. Although it has been traditionally considered a relatively benign disease, a number of recent studies have suggested a not uncommon concomitant presence of DVT and/or PE in these patients [5,[13][14][15] and a non-negligible risk of recurrence at follow up [16,7], questioning the benign nature of this disease.…”

“…It has been estimated to have a prevalence of 3-11% in the general population [2], and in a recent community-based study the annual incidence of symptomatic SVT appeared of 0.64‰ inhabitants/year [3]. Furthermore, its prevalence appears to be approximately two-fold higher than that of deep-vein thrombosis (DVT) and pulmonary embolism (PE) combined in a study conducted among patients attending general practitioners [4].…”

Management of superficial vein thrombosis

“…This is a lower incidence than that of venous thromboembolism (VTE), which is estimated to be 1 in 1000 per year . In this study , the long saphenous vein was involved in 50–60% of cases, the short saphenous vein in 11–15%, and tributaries of long and short saphenous veins in 30–40% (Fig. ).…”