INTRODUCTION: Although older adults represent a significant proportion of patients with venous thromboembolism (VTE), the data on the impact of age-related differences in the clinical presentation, management, and outcomes of VTE are scarce. METHODS: We analyzed data from the RIETE registry database, an ongoing global observational registry of patients with objectively confirmed VTE, to compare patient characteristics, clinical presentation, treatments, and outcomes between elderly (≥70 years) vs. non-elderly (<70 years) patients. RESULTS: From January 2001 to March 2021, 100,000 adult patients were enrolled in RIETE. Elderly patients (47.9%) were more frequently women (58.2% vs. 43.5%), more likely had unprovoked VTE (50.5% vs. 45.1%) and most often presented with severe renal failure (10.2% vs. 1.2%) and acute pulmonary embolism (PE) (vs. deep vein thrombosis) (54.3% vs. 44.5%) compared to non-elderly patients (p<0.001 for all comparisons). For the PE subgroup, elderly patients more frequently had non-low risk PE (78.9% vs. 50.7%; p<0.001), respiratory failure (33.9% vs. 21.8%; p<0.001) and myocardial injury (40.0% vs. 26.2%; p<0.001) compared to non-elderly patients. Thrombolysis (0.9% vs. 1.7%; p<0.001) and direct oral anticoagulants (8.8% vs. 11.8%; p<0.001) were less frequently administered to elderly patients. Elderly patients showed a significantly higher 30-day all-cause mortality (adjusted odds ratio [OR] 1.36, 95%CI: 1.22-1.52) and major bleeding (OR, 2.08; 95%CI, 1.85-2.33), but a lower risk of 30-day VTE recurrences (OR, 0.62, 95%CI, 0.54-0.71). CONCLUSIONS: Compared with non-elderly patients, elderly patients had a different VTE clinical profile. Advanced therapies were less frequently used in older patients. Age was an independent predictor of mortality.

CIBER Enfermedades Respiratorias Madrid Spain; Chair for the Study of Thromboembolic Disease Faculty of Health Sciences UCAM Universidad Católica San Antonio de Murcia Spain

Department of Angiology Azienda Ospedaliera Universitaria Parma Italy

Department of Cardiology Massachusetts General Hospital Boston MA USA

Department of Cardiology Ospedale Pauls Stradins Clinical University Hospital Riga Stradiņš University Riga Latvia

Department of Internal Medicine Hospital de Mataró Barcelona Spain

Department of Internal Medicine Hospital Universitario La Paz Madrid Spain

Emergency Department Hospital Dr Peset Valencia Spain

Respiratory Department Hospital Dr Peset Valencia Spain

Respiratory Department Hospital Dr Peset Valencia Spain; Medical Research Institute Hospital La Fe Valencia Spain

Respiratory Department Hospital Ramón y Cajal Universidad de Alcalá Madrid Spain; Medicine Department Universidad de Alcalá Madrid Spain

References provided by Crossref.org