Assessment of arterial endothelial dysfunction in patients with venous thromboembolism

Objective: In this study, we aimed to determine arterial endothelial function and cardiovascular risk in patients with a history of venous thromboembolism (VTE) using non-invasive diagnostic methods such as flow-mediated dilatation (FMD) and pulse wave velocity (PWV). Methods: The study included 100 venous thromboembolism patients over 18 years of age and 102 volunteers without a history of venous thromboembolism who were admitted to the Cardiology Department of Çukurova University Balcalı Hospital. Physical examination was performed and demographic data, body mass index, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, cancer history, covid history, flow-mediated dilatation and pulse wave velocity parameters were evaluated. Patients under 18 years of age, those with a history of coronary artery disease and heart failure, and smokers were excluded. Results: Two groups were included as case group (history of VTE) and control group. The mean age of those included in the study was 47.4±16.8 years and 120 (59.4%) of them were female. No significant difference was found between the groups in terms of age and gender. Between the case and control groups, flow-mediated dilatation rates were found to be significantly lower in the case group compared to the control group (VTE: 12.5±5.8 Control: 18.7±4.3 p<0.001). PWV value was higher in the case group than in the control group (VTE: 7.92±1.9 control: 5.86±0.7 p<0.001). In addition, all individuals in the case and control groups were divided into two groups as those with FMD percentage below 10% and those without FMD. Age, HT, BMI and history of VTE were significantly different in the group with significantly reduced flow-mediated dilatation. In logistic regression analysis in which flow-mediated dilatation below 10% was modeled as the dependent variable and age, HT, DM and history of VTE were modeled as independent variables, history of VTE (OR: 6.30; 1.20-33.07 95% confidence interval) and age (OR: 1.16; 1.09-1.22 95% confidence interval) were independently associated with FMD deterioration. Conclusion: The main conclusion of this study is that VTE is associated with impaired arterial endothelial function and may be a risk factor for cardiovascular diseases. Key Words: Arterial stiffness, flow-mediated dilatation, endothelial dysfunction, pulse wave velocity, venous thromboembolism