Trends in pulmonary embolism morbidity and mortality in Australia

Introduction: Pulmonary embolism (PE) is a common cause of morbidity and mortality. In this study, we investigated patterns of morbidity and mortality from PE in Australia.

Materials & methods: Australian government databases were used to extract data on age and sex specific rates of mortality between 1997 and 2007, and hospital separations between 1998/9 and 2009/10 to examine changes over time and between age and sex groups.

Results: In 2007, 320 deaths were ascribed to PE in Australia, corresponding to a mortality rate of 1.73 per 100,000 population per year. Between 1997 and 2007, the Australian mortality rate decreased in both sexes, but this was significant only in females. By comparison, in 2009/10 there were 9,847 hospital separations for PE, corresponding to a rate of 53.1 per 100,000 population per year. In contrast to the fall in mortality rates, hospital separation rates significantly increased over the study period. Females had higher rates of morbidity and mortality from PE than males. While the mortality rates among the elderly population decreased significantly (from 48.4 to 34.3 per 100,000 population per year in those aged over 85 years), there were significant increases in PE mortality in the younger female age groups.

Conclusions: Although mortality rates are decreasing, PE remains a significant cause of morbidity and mortality in Australia, especially in females and the elderly. The burden of morbidity and mortality from PE in Australia is comparable to that found in America and a number of European countries.