Comparison of risk factors and short-term and long-term prognosis of pulmonary embolism between the Tibetan and Han people

Abstract

Objective: To compare the differences of risk factors and prognosis of pulmonary embolism (PE) between the Tibetans and the Hans. Methods: Patients over 18 years old with confirmed PE and complete clinical data from West China Hospital of Sichuan University from January 2010 to January 2016 were prospectively enrolled and divided into Tibetan group and Han group. Clinical data were collected to compare risk factors and short-term prognosis between Han group and Tibetan group. In addition, a 2-year follow-up was conducted among patients after discharge to investigate the long-term prognosis. Results: A total of 90 patients in Tibetan group and 626 patients in Han group were finally included in this study. Patients in Tibetan group were younger than Han group [(52.2±15.8) vs (59.8±16.6) years old, P<0.001], and the proportion of elderly patients (age ≥70 years) in Tibetan group was significantly lower than that of Han group (15.6% vs 33.7%, P=0.001). The hemoglobin, hematocrit, platelet counts and fibrinogen in Tibetan group were higher than those in Han group [(134.0±32.0) vs (122.2±25.7) g/L, (41.2±9.2)% vs (37.6±7.3)% and (222.2±97.5)×10(9)/L vs (187.5±87.2)×10(9)/L, 3.71(2.51, 4.89) vs 3.31(2.44, 4.42) g/L; P<0.001, <0.001 and P=0.001, 0.048, respectively]. Malignancy and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease were more common in Han group (P=0.011, 0.001), while prior venous thromboembolism history, pregnancy or a history delivery within 1 month were more common in Tibetan group (P=0.041, 0.001). Both short-term and long-term mortality in Tibetan group were significantly lower than that in Han group (2.2% vs 11.5%, 13.6% vs 24.9%; P=0.005, 0.020). Conclusions: Hypercoagulable state plays an important role in the pathogenesis of PE in Tibetan patients. Both short-term and long-term prognosis of PE in Tibetan patients are better than that in Han patients.