Gout, Chronic Inflammatory Diseases Linked to Increased Risk of Post-Thrombotic Syndrome

The European Journal of Internal Medicine published a study that assessed the risk of post-thrombotic syndrome (PTS) in patients with chronic inflammatory disease (CID) while stratifying for the use of anti-inflammatory treatment.

CID was defined by the investigators as having a diagnosis of inflammatory bowel disease, systemic rheumatic diseases, or gout.

The research was conducted on a group of consecutive patients who had proximal deep vein thrombosis and no active cancer between 2003 and 2018. Patients were followed for a 2-year prospective period to monitor the development of PTS.

To assess the presence of residual venous obstruction (RVO), compressive ultrasounds were performed after 3 to 6 months. PTS was diagnosed using the Villalta score after 6 to 24 months. Hazard ratios (HR) and odds ratios (OR) were adjusted for patient characteristics.

Of the 801 patients examined, 82 had CID, accounting for approximately 10.2% of the group. Significantly, PTS was observed to develop more frequently in patients with CID (35.4%) compared with those without CID (18.9%). The HR was 1.72.

The prevalence of RVO was found to be similar in patients with and without CID (36.8% and 41.4%, respectively). However, RVO was strongly associated with PTS in patients with CID (OR, 3.21).

Moreover, within the CID group, patients who were not receiving anti-inflammatory treatment (44.0%) were more likely to exhibit RVO than those who were (51.6% vs 26.7%). Consequently, the risk of developing PTS was also higher in the untreated CID group (HR, 2.18).

“Our findings suggest that these outcomes have distinct underlying mechanisms. Validation of our findings and elucidation of their mechanisms could lead to improved risk-stratification and novel therapies for patients with CID,” the authors concluded.