The absolute risk for venous thromboembolism (VTE) is low among outpatients with COVID-19, according to a study published online March 13 in JAMA Network Open.

Margaret C. Fang, M.D., from the University of California in San Francisco, and colleagues assessed the risk for VTE among outpatients with COVID-19. The analysis included data from 398,530 outpatients identified from the Kaiser Permanente Virtual Data Warehouse and electronic health records (Jan. 1, 2020, to Jan. 31, 2021).

The researchers found that 0.1 percent of patients had a VTE event during the study period. The sharpest increase in VTE risk occurred during the first 30 days after COVID-19 diagnosis (unadjusted rate, 0.58 versus 0.09 after 30 days). Risk factors for VTE among COVID-19 outpatients included age 55 to 64 years (hazard ratio [HR], 1.85), 65 to 74 years (HR, 3.43), 75 to 84 years (HR, 5.46), and 85 years and older (HR, 6.51); male gender (HR, 1.49); prior VTE (HR, 7.49); thrombophilia (HR, 2.52); inflammatory bowel disease (HR, 2.43); body mass index of 30.0 to 39.9 kg/m² (HR, 1.57); and body mass index ≥40.0 kg/m² (HR, 3.07).

“These findings may help identify subsets of patients with COVID-19 who may benefit from more intensive surveillance or VTE preventive strategies,” the authors write.

More information:
Margaret C. Fang et al, Assessment of the Risk of Venous Thromboembolism in Nonhospitalized Patients With COVID-19, JAMA Network Open (2023). DOI: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2023.2338

Journal information:
JAMA Network Open

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