Prevalence of Antiphospholipid Antibodies in Patients with Venous Thromboembolism at Chonburi Hospital

Abstract

Background: Venous thromboembolism (VTE) is a common condition in clinical practice. Antiphospholipid antibodies (APAs) have been investigated for the causes of thrombosis, which affect anticoagulant duration. The prevalence and association between VTE and APAs influenced the decision to investigate.

Objective: To investigate the prevalence and association between venous thromboembolism (VTE) and antiphospholipid antibodies (APAs).

Materials and Method: A retrospective cross-sectional study was conducted to analyze the medical records of patients with VTE at Chonburi Hospital from January 1, 2021, to April 30, 2024. The data collected included age, sex, body mass index (BMI), location of thrombosis, pregnancy status, underlying diseases, episodes of thrombosis, and presence of APAs. The binary logistic regression analysis focused on the prevalence and risk factors associated with APAs.

Result: In study of 189 venous thromboembolism patients, 42 (22.2%) tested positive for antiphospholipid antibodies. The average age was 46 years, with 54.8% being female. Multivariate analysis showed that these antiphospholipid antibody positive patients had a significant association with unprovoked thrombosis, with an adjusted odds ratio of 4.01 (p-value 0.03).

Conclusion: The prevalence of APAs in patients with VTE at Chonburi Hospital was 22.2%. The presence of APAs was significantly associated with unprovoked thrombosis. However, further studies are required to better understand this association.