Mortality rates, health disparities remain high in PE patients

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According to the American Lung Association (ALA), approximately 900,000 people in the United States suffer from pulmonary embolisms each year. Of these, 10% to 30% die within one month of diagnosis. A pulmonary embolism (PE) is most commonly caused by a blood clot in the legs (called deep vein thrombosis, or DVT) that travels up through the body and into the lungs. 

Scientific research and medical developments have greatly advanced treatment options for pulmonary embolism over the last 20 years. However, a recent Michigan Medicine study found that the death rate for PE continues to remain high and has not changed dramatically despite these important innovations. Furthermore, the results revealed major disparities in the affected populations, with PE more often killing Black males and people living in rural areas. 

“Seeing a higher incidence of blood clots, including pulmonary embolism, in Black populations, patients in rural areas and those with lower socioeconomic status suggests that social determinants of health play a role in the incidence and outcomes of venous thromboembolism,” said Geoffrey Barnes, MD, associate professor of cardiology-internal medicine at University of Michigan Medical School.

The study, led by Mohamed Zghouzi, MD, was published in August 2023 in the Annals of the American Thoracic Society. At the time of the study, Dr. Zghouzi was a vascular medicine fellow at the University of Michigan Health Frankel Cardiovascular Center. Using data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), he and his research colleagues analyzed more than 100,000 deaths caused by PE between 2006 and 2019.

Findings indicated that, during this period of time, the death rate due to pulmonary embolism remained nearly unchanged at about 2.8 deaths per 100,000 people. However, the rate has significantly increased among male Black patients, who are almost two times more likely to die from PE than white patients. In rural areas, four patients per 100,000 people die from PE, compared to half that number in large metropolitan areas. 

“These findings are surprising and counterintuitive to the advancement in care for patients with pulmonary embolism over the last decade, as well as other studies suggesting a downward trajectory in mortality from other major causes of cardiovascular death,” said Dr. Zghouzi. 

Co-author of the study, Dr. Barnes, also said the results clearly indicate that further progress is essential. 

“These findings highlight a need for both increased funding for research focused on the underlying causes of these mortality rates and disparities, as well as targeted interventions and programs aimed at improving outcomes for pulmonary embolism in all patients,” said Dr. Barnes.

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