PT - JOURNAL ARTICLE AU - L. Bertoletti AU - S. Quenet AU - P. Mismetti AU - L. Hernández AU - J.J. Martín-Villasclaras AU - C. Tolosa AU - M. Valdés AU - M. Barrón AU - J.A. Todolí AU - M. Monreal AU - the RIETE Investigators TI - Clinical presentation and outcome of venous thromboembolism in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease AID - 10.1183/09031936.00058811 DP - 2011 Jan 01 TA - European Respiratory Journal PG - erj00588-2011 4099 - http://erj.ersjournals.com/content/early/2011/09/01/09031936.00058811.short 4100 - http://erj.ersjournals.com/content/early/2011/09/01/09031936.00058811.full AB - Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) is a moderate risk factor for venous thromboembolism (VTE), but neither the clinical presentation nor the outcome of VTE in COPD patients is well known.The clinical presentation of VTE, namely pulmonary embolism (PE) or deep venous thrombosis (DVT) and the outcome at 3 months (death, recurrent VTE or bleeding) were compared between 2984 COPD patients and 25936 non-COPD patients included in the RIETE registry. This ongoing international multicentre registry includes patients with proven symptomatic PE or DVT.PE was the more frequent VTE presentation in COPD patients (1761, 59%). PE presentation was significantly more associated with COPD patients than with non-COPD patients (OR: 1.64 [1.49 – 1.80]). During the 3-month follow-up, mortality (10.8% vs 7.6%), minor bleeding (4.5% vs 2.3%) or first VTE recurrences as PE (1.5% vs 1.1%) were significantly higher in COPD patients than in non-COPD patients. PE was the first cause of death.COPD patients presented more frequently with PE than with DVT. It may explain the worse prognosis of COPD patients, with a higher risk of death, bleeding or VTE recurrences as PE compared with non-COPD patients. Further therapeutic options are needed.