ABSTRACT
Idiopathic venous thrombosis (VTE) is frequently associated with underlying malignancy. Thus, it is tempting to search for underlying cancer in these patients. However, extensive screening is cost-intensive and no survival benefit has been demonstrated. Based on a review of the literature, we recommend the performance of a thorough medical history and physical examination in addition to basic biochemical screening and a chest X-ray in patients with idiopathic VTE. Only specific symptoms or findings should lead to a more extensive work-up.
Subject(s)
Neoplasms , Venous Thromboembolism , Humans , Neoplasms/complications , Neoplasms/diagnosis , Neoplasms/epidemiology , Pulmonary Embolism/diagnosis , Pulmonary Embolism/etiology , Risk Factors , Venous Thromboembolism/diagnosis , Venous Thromboembolism/epidemiology , Venous Thromboembolism/etiology , Venous Thrombosis/diagnosis , Venous Thrombosis/etiologyABSTRACT
AIMS: Recently, an apparent protective effect of statins against upper gastrointestinal bleeding (UGB) was postulated in a post hoc analysis of a randomized trial. We aimed to evaluate the effect of statin use on acute nonvariceal UGB alone or in combinations with low-dose aspirin and other antithrombotic drugs. METHODS: A population-based case-control study was conducted in the County of Funen, Denmark. Cases (n = 3652) were all subjects with a first discharge diagnosis of serious UGB from a hospital during the period 1995 to 2006. Age- and gender-matched controls (10 for each case) (n = 36 502) were selected by a risk set sampling. Data on all subjects' drug exposure and past medical history were retrieved from a prescription database and from the County's patient register. Confounders were controlled by conditional logistic regression. RESULTS: The adjusted odds ratios (ORs) associating use of statins with UGB were 0.94 (0.78-1.12) for current use, 1.40 (0.89-2.20) for recent use and 1.42 (0.96-2.10) for past use. The lack of effect was consistent across most patient subgroups, different cumulative or current statin doses and different statin substances. In explorative analyses, a borderline significant protective effect was observed for concurrent users of low-dose aspirin [OR 0.43 (0.18-1.05)]. CONCLUSION: Statins do not prevent UGB, except possibly in users of low-dose aspirin.
Subject(s)
Aspirin/adverse effects , Fibrinolytic Agents/adverse effects , Gastrointestinal Hemorrhage/prevention & control , Hydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA Reductase Inhibitors/therapeutic use , Aged , Aged, 80 and over , Case-Control Studies , Denmark/epidemiology , Dose-Response Relationship, Drug , Drug Therapy, Combination , Female , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Odds Ratio , Treatment OutcomeABSTRACT
The clinical use of anti-thrombotic agents has shifted towards more aggressive therapy and towards regimes with more than one drug. Data on the risk of upper gastrointestinal bleedings (UGB) with combined anti-thrombotic therapy are scarce. In the period 2000 through 2004, 1,443 cases of serious UGB and 57,720 control subjects were identified in Funen County. Anti-thrombotic therapy is becoming increasingly aggressive. Combined anti-thrombotic therapy confers particular risk and is associated with high incidence rates of GI bleeding.
ABSTRACT
Acute myocardial infarction in pregnancy is a rare condition. Two cases of suspected acute myocardial infarction during pregnancy are presented. Acute myocardial infarction in pregnancy is most often caused by atherosclerosis. Other possible aetiologies are dissection, embolism and arterial spasm. Acute coronary angiography is recommended as an early diagnostic procedure that does not present any risk to the embryo. Treatment with aspirin and heparin is safe, but there have been only a few case studies of the use of the newer antithrombotic drugs, chlopidogrel and GPIIb-IIIa inhibitors, in pregnant women.
Subject(s)
Myocardial Infarction/complications , Pregnancy Complications, Cardiovascular , Adult , Female , Humans , Myocardial Infarction/diagnosis , Myocardial Infarction/drug therapy , Pregnancy , Pregnancy Complications, Cardiovascular/diagnosis , Pregnancy Complications, Cardiovascular/drug therapyABSTRACT
OBJECTIVES: To assess the risk of serious upper gastrointestinal bleeding associated with the newer antithrombotic agents used alone or in combination with other antithrombotic drugs; to describe the trends in use of antithrombotic drugs in the background population. DESIGN: Population based case-control study. SETTING: Funen County, Denmark (population 470,000). SUBJECTS: 1443 cases of serious upper gastrointestinal bleeding identified during 2000-4; 57,720 age and sex matched controls. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: Exposure to low dose aspirin, clopidogrel, dipyridamole, vitamin K antagonists, and combined antithrombotic treatment. RESULTS: Adjusted odds ratios associating drug use with upper gastrointestinal bleeding were 1.8 (95% confidence interval 1.5 to 2.1) for low dose aspirin, 1.1 (0.6 to 2.1) for clopidogrel, 1.9 (1.3 to 2.8) for dipyridamole, and 1.8 (1.3 to 2.4) for vitamin K antagonists. Corresponding figures for combined use were 7.4 (3.5 to 15) for clopidogrel and aspirin, 5.3 (2.9 to 9.5) for vitamin K antagonists and aspirin, and 2.3 (1.7 to 3.3) for dipyridamole and aspirin. Other combinations were used too infrequently to allow estimation. The number of treatment years needed to produce one excess case varied from 124 for the clopidogrel-aspirin combination to 8800 for clopidogrel alone. During the study period, exposure to combined antithrombotic regimens increased by 425% in the background population. CONCLUSION: Antithrombotic treatment is becoming increasingly aggressive. Combined antithrombotic treatment confers particular risk and is associated with high incidence of gastrointestinal bleeding.
