Incidence of PE hospitalizations rises from 2001 to 2010

(HealthDay)—The incidence of hospitalizations for pulmonary embolism (PE) increased from 2001 to 2010, and a pattern of seasonal variation can be seen in PE hospitalizations, according to a study published in the January issue of the Journal of Thrombosis and Haemostasis.

Ricardo Guijarro, M.D., from the Regional University Hospital of Malaga in Spain, and colleagues analyzed the hospital discharge database of the Spanish National Health System from 2001 to 2010 to examine the possible existence of a seasonal pattern in hospitalizations for PE. Time-series analysis was used to determine the trend and seasonality factor for the series.

The researchers found that there were 162,032 diagnoses of PE from 2001 to 2010 (5.07 per 1,000 hospitalizations). PE was the reason for admission in 105,168 cases. The PE diagnosis rate varied from 4.14 per 1,000 in 2001 to 6.56 per 1,000 in 2010; PE-related hospital admissions increased from 2.67 to 4.28 per 1,000 hospital discharges. There was a linear increase in incidence and a significant seasonal pattern, with 17 percent more admissions in February and 12 percent fewer in June/July with regard to the central tendency.

"The incidence of hospitalizations for PE showed a linear increase and a seasonal pattern, with the highest number of admissions in winter and the lowest number in summer," the authors write.

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