Assessing Venous Thromboembolism Incidence and Risk Factors: a Narrative Review

Deep venous thrombosis (DVT) and pulmonary embolism (PE) are the venous thromboembolism (VTE) events that together present a major healthcare problem in the world, which results in significant morbidity, mortality and economic outflow. VTE is a multifactorial disorder, determined by a combination of risk factors including hospitalization, surgery, critical care, and one or more isolated medical conditions.

The objective of the study is to provide a comprehensive assessment of the prevalence of VTE and to identify key risk factors across various clinical and demographic conditions, in order to inform prophylactic measures.

A literature search was conducted on PubMed, Scopus, and Google Scholar among the studies that were published between 1998 and 2022 in the English language. The keywords were used as "venous thromboembolism", "deep vein thrombosis", "pulmonary embolism", "incidence", and "risk factors". The observational, cohort studies, and systematic reviewed research on the VTE epidemiology and risk factors among human populations were considered as the eligible studies. Studies with improper methodologies and editorials, non-English studies were eliminated.

The incidence of VTE varies worldwide, ranging from 2 cases per 1,000 person-years, with higher prevalence in hospitalized patients (15-30%) and critically ill patients (up to 20 %). The main risk factors include advanced age, hospitalisation, and surgical intervention, as well as malignant tumours (4-7-fold increased risk), obesity, immobility, inherited thrombophilia with a common genetic background, and rare diseases such as KILT syndrome. Additionally, ethnic and gender differences influence the incidence.

VTE is a complex condition that must be prevented on an individual basis, considering different risk profiles. Future research should focus on prospective studies across various groups to enhance risk assessment models and enable personalised thromboprophylaxis, thereby reducing the burden of VTE.