Thromboembolic events increase the risk of in-hospital death in patients with COVID-19

People hospitalised for COVID-19 with thromboembolic episodes, such as strokes or myocardial infarctions, are at increased risk of hospital death, according to research conducted in Lleida by researchers from the Arnau de Vilanova University Hospital of Lleida (HUAV), the University of Lleida and the Clinical Neurosciences research group of the Institute for Research in Biomedicine of Lleida (IRBLleida). The study was recently published in the journal Plos One.

Francisco Purroy, a doctor at the HUAV Stroke Unit, lecturer in the Department of Medicine at the UdL and head of the research group, led this research, together with Glòria Arqué, researcher and lecturer in the Department of Experimental Medicine at the UdL. Data from 1,737 people hospitalised in 16 hospitals in Spain (HM Hospitales Group), who were diagnosed with COVID-19 between March and April 2020, were evaluated.

The analysis assessed the prevalence of thromboembolic episodes in these patients and their influence on patient outcomes. "The observational study confirmed that patients with COVID-19 who developed a thromboembolic episode and who also had other comorbidities such as advanced age, diabetes or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, had a worse prognosis than those who did not," explained the first author of the article. "This research confirms the thrombolic problems of the infection and how if they appear during the admission of patients, the risk of mortality increases," confirmed the researcher.

Of all patients, 3.7% (about 64) had venous thromboembolism, acute ischaemic stroke, systemic arterial embolism or myocardial infarction. And they had a worse disease course. In addition, the profile of these people shared certain similarities such as advanced age and other comorbidities such as diabetes or hypertension.

The 16 hospitals participating in the research are part of HM Hospitales, a private hospital group with centres in Galicia, Madrid, León, Toledo and Barcelona (HM Delfos, HM San Jorge, HM Niños, HM Modelo, HM Belén, HM Rosaleda, HM Esperanza, HM San Francisco, HM Regla, HM Madrid, HM Montepríncipe, HM Torrelodones, HM Sanchinarro, HM Nuevo Belén, HM Puerta del Sur and HM Vallés).

Research article:

Purroy F, Arqué G. Influence of thromboembolic events in the prognosis of COVID-19 hospitalized patients. Results from a cross sectional study. PLoS One. 2021 Jun 9;16(6):e0252351. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0252351. PMID: 34106984.