The incidence of venous thromboembolism following stroke and its risk factors in eastern China

Xingyang Yi, Jing Lin, Zhao Han, Xudong Zhou, Xiaotong Wang, Jiguang Lin

Few studies have documented the prevalence of venous thromboembolism (VTE) in the Chinese population. We aimed to investigate the incidence of VTE following stroke and to determine the potential risk factors for the onset of VTE in patients of eastern China. A prospective multi-center study was conducted. A total of 1,380 patients with acute stroke received venous duplex ultrasound (VDU) examination on both lower limbs. The National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS), Barthel index (BI), Wells, and modified Rankin scale scores were determined. Among 1,380 cases of acute stroke, 4.49 % (62 cases) had deep venous thrombosis (DVT) and 0.80 % (11 cases) had pulmonary thromboembolism (PTE). In the cases of DVT, 48.4 % had no clinical symptoms. The independent risk factors for the incidence of DVT, following the acute stage of stroke, were an age ≥ 70 years, bed-ridden, a Wells score ≥ 2, an NIHSS score of lower limbs ≥ 3, a low BI score, and an elevated concentration of D: -dimer. Rehabilitative and anti-coagulant therapy prevented the incidence of DVT following stroke. Moreover, an age ≥ 70 years, bed-ridden and having DVT were the independent risk factors for the incidence of PTE among stroke patients during the acute stage. Finally, 1.51 % of the patients had DVT whereas no PTE occurred during the period of the follow-up study. VDU examination is recommended for patients with acute stroke, which may help to diagnose and treat asymptomatic DVT early as well as prevent the subsequent incidence of PTE.