The effect of chronic liver disease on venous thromboembolism among medically managed patients in Singapore General Hospital

Abstract Background Chronic liver disease (CLD) has been suggested to be associated with venous thromboembolism (VTE) in western populations. However, little is known about the risk effects of CLD on VTE among Asians. Objective To compute the prevalence of VTE among hospitalised Asian patients, and to evaluate the pattern and scale of risk effects of CLD on VTE occurrence. Method Retrospective study of hospital discharge database from 2004 to 2011 to identify patients with VTE and CLD using International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems, 9th Revision, Australian Modification (ICD-9-AM) codes. Results Of 199904 medically managed inpatients during the 8 years, 1744 (0.9%) patients had VTE. Patients with CLD had significant higher prevalence of VTE (non-cirrhosis CLD 1.5%, cirrhosis 2.0%) than patients without CLD (0.8%, p < 0.001). In the logistic regression analyses, non-cirrhosis CLD (odds ratio, OR 1.4, 95% CI 1.2-1.7, p < 0.001) and cirrhosis (OR 1.5, 95% CI 1.2-2.0, p = 0.002) were significant predictors of VTE after adjustment for age, gender, ethnicity, hospital long stayer, cancer, infectious disease, and other comorbid conditions such as diabetic mellitus, anaemia, and cardiovascular, cerebrovascular, renal and pulmonary diseases. Conclusion CLD, particular liver cirrhosis, increases the risks of VTE in hospitalised Asian patients. As CLD patients are perceived to be at risks of bleeding due to the prolonged clotting times and thrombocytopenia, the results of this study brings attention to opposite end of the haemostatic pendulum in patients with chronic liver disease.