The increasing incidence of thromboembolic events among hospitalized patients with inflammatory bowel disease

Background We performed a national population-based study examining the incidence of both venous and arterial thromboembolic events in patients hospitalized with inflammatory bowel disease over the past decade. Methods A retrospective cross-sectional analysis using the Nationwide Inpatient Sample Database was performed. Patients hospitalized with Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis were identified using ICD-9 codes. The incidence of clinically relevant venous thromboembolic events and arterial thromboembolic events including myocardial infarction, visceral ischemia, cerebrovascular accidents, and peripheral arterial events was examined. Results During the study period, 461,415 hospitalized inflammatory bowel disease patients were identified. Among these patients, 28,820 had a diagnosis of a thromboembolic event (overall prevalence of 6%). The incidence of thromboembolic events in patients with inflammatory bowel disease rose from 5.65% in 2000 to 7.17% by 2009. There were 18,270 (3.96%) patients who had an arterial thrombotic event, the most common being myocardial infarction (50%), followed by visceral ischemia (25%), and cerebrovascular incidents (22%). There were 11,083 (2.4%) patients identified to have had a venous thrombotic event, with the most common manifestation being deep vein thrombosis (77%), pulmonary embolism (32%), and portal vein thrombosis (3.9%). Conclusion An increasing incidence of thromboembolic event in patients with inflammatory bowel disease was observed over the past decade. Interestingly, there were more arterial thrombotic events in comparison to venous thrombotic events.