Table I.
Demographic and clinical characteristics of patients included in the SCCS analysis. A total of 363 patients with a first VTE from the MEGA Study (the Netherlands, 1999–2004) received at least one outpatient prescription of oral glucocorticoids and were included in the SCCS analysis.
| Variable | Patients with VTE and a prescription of oral glucocorticoids (n = 363) |
|---|---|
| Age, years, mean (SD) | 54·2 (11·3) |
| N (%) | |
| Male | 168 (46) |
| DVT only | 182 (50) |
| PE ± DVT | 181 (50) |
| Provoked VTE | 241 (66) |
| Unprovoked VTE | 103 (28) |
| Inflammatory disease* | 84 (23) |
| Rheumatoid arthritis | 22 (26) |
| Multiple sclerosis | 3 (4) |
| Emphysema | 13 (15) |
| Chronic bronchitis | 46 (55) |
| Malignancy in the previous 5 years | 94 (26) |
| Time since diagnosis | |
| 0 to 3 months | 36 (39) |
| >3 months to 1 year | 22 (24) |
| >1 to 3 years | 23 (25) |
| >3 to 5 years | 12 (13) |
| Main sites of malignancy | |
| Lung | 18 (19) |
| Myeloma | 8 (9) |
| Other haematological malignancies† | 16 (17) |
| Gastrointestinal | 11 (12) |
| Breast | 12 (13) |
| Other female malignancies‡ | 5 (5) |
| Male malignancies§, * | 7 (7) |
| Urinary | 3 (3) |
DVT, deep vein thrombosis; MEGA study, Multiple Environmental and Genetic Assessment of Risk Factors for Venous Thrombosis Case‐Control Study; PE, pulmonary embolism; SCCS, self‐controlled case series; VTE, venous thromboembolism.
Provoked VTE was considered if: malignancy, trauma/surgery/ immobilisation, plaster cast, oestrogen use, pregnancy/puerperium, travel >4 h
The diseases listed in this table were self‐reported. Data on chronic disease or malignancy in the past 5 years were missing in 38 patients. Data on the date of malignancy diagnosis was missing in one patient.
Non‐Hodgkin lymphoma, Hodgkin lymphoma, leukaemia.
Cervix, endometrium, ovary.
Prostate or testis cancer. Gastrointestinal cancer included: colon, stomach, oesophagus, liver or pancreas cancer. Urinary cancer included bladder or kidney cancer.