Epidemiology of Vascular Thrombosis in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia: A Single Center Study and Comparison with National Data

BackgroundDespite the growing evidence on the thrombophilia in Saudi population along its diverse regions, there have been no studies on thrombotic events in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia. This single-center study aimed to investigate the prevalence of venous thromboembolism (VTE) in a hematology clinic in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia between January 2015 and May 2023. The objective of this study was to investigate the clinical characteristics of VTE and compare them with national data.MethodsThis is a retrospective, observational, single-center study conducted in the Eastern Province from January 2015 to May 2023. After applying the inclusion and exclusion criteria and the prevalence rate calculation an analysis of n = 170 patients was conducted to compare the epidemiological results of the current study with national data published in other provinces of Saudi Arabia. Data collected included demographics, comorbidities and location with thrombosis recurrence.ResultThe prevalence rate of VTE in this cohort was 3.16%. Women made up 70% of the population. About 80.5% of cases were obese or overweight, 37.6% of cases had comorbidities that may increase the risk of thrombosis, and 12.9% of cases were associated with smoking. The most common site of VTE (56.5%) and the site of higher recurrence of VTE (21.8%) was the lower extremities. In addition, recurrent VTE was observed in 28.2% of cases, reflecting a significantly higher recurrence rate compared with other national studies (p = 0.001). Compared with other national statistics, the most significant risk factors for thrombosis in the Eastern Province were smoking, obesity and family history (p = 0.000). Compared with national statistics, this study demonstrated significantly higher rates of VTE in pregnancy, patients on hormonal therapy, and patients with rheumatological/autoimmune diseases (p = 0.001).ConclusionThe incidence of VTE can be reduced by changing lifestyles and creating educational programs to educate people about the dangers of obesity and smoking.