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Elevated risk of dyspnea in pediatric patients three months after pulmonary embolism
Abidan Abulimiti1, Lydia S Robson2, James A Pawelczyk3
1Institute for Exercise and Environmental Medicine, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center and Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital Dallas, Dallas, TX, USA.
Insights
Pediatric patients with a history of pulmonary embolism (PE) face a significantly higher risk of developing dyspnea. This finding highlights the importance of considering prior PE in diagnosing shortness of breath in children.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Medicine
- Cardiology
- Pulmonology
Background:
- Pulmonary embolism (PE) is a serious condition in children.
- Dyspnea is a common symptom with various causes in pediatric populations.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine if pediatric patients with a prior pulmonary embolism (PE) have an increased likelihood of a dyspnea diagnosis.
- To evaluate the association between prior PE and subsequent dyspnea diagnosis in adolescents and young adults.
Main Methods:
- Utilized de-identified data from the TriNetX platform, including UTSW and Research Networks.
- Identified pediatric patients aged 8-21 years with diagnoses of PE (ICD-10-CM I26) and dyspnea (ICD-10-CM R06.0).
- Performed statistical analysis to assess the risk of dyspnea diagnosis in patients with a history of PE.
Main Results:
- Patients with a prior PE diagnosis showed a significantly higher risk for a dyspnea diagnosis in both UTSW (OR 4.57) and Research Networks (OR 6.57).
- The association between PE and dyspnea was statistically significant (p < 0.0001) across both networks.
- Females with a PE diagnosis had a significantly higher risk of dyspnea compared to males within the Research Networks (p < 0.0001).
Conclusions:
- Prior PE is an independent risk factor for dyspnea diagnosis in pediatric patients.
- Clinicians should consider a history of PE when evaluating dyspnea in pediatric patients, after ruling out other causes.
- These findings underscore the long-term respiratory implications of PE in the pediatric population.
Abstract:
This study investigated whether pediatric patients with a prior pulmonary embolism (PE) are more likely to have a diagnosis of dyspnea compared with those who have not had a PE. We obtained de-identified data from TriNetX, using both UT Southwestern (UTSW) and Research Networks, and identified patients aged 8-21 years with a diagnosis of PE (ICD-10-CM I26) and dyspnea (ICD-10-CM R06.0). Patients with a PE diagnosis had a significantly higher risk for a diagnosis of dyspnea. This relationship was observed in both the UTSW Network (OR 4.57 [95 % CI 2.82-7.43]; p < 0.0001) and Research Network (OR 6.57 [95 % CI 5.65-7.65]; p < 0.0001). Moreover, the risk of having a dyspnea diagnosis was significantly higher for females compared with males with a PE diagnosis in Research Networks (p < 0.0001). These findings have significant clinical implications, suggesting that clinicians should consider prior PE as an independent risk factor for diagnosis of dyspnea in pediatric patients after excluding other possible contributing factors.
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