Incidence, risk factors and skin manifestations of post-thrombotic syndrome A four-year follow-up of patients included in the EDITH study

Purpose - Despite appropriate therapy 10 to 100% of patients with deep vein thrombosis (DVT) of the lower limbs will develop post-thrombotic syndrome (PTS) The aim of this study was to evaluate the incidence of PTS in the EDITH cohort and to estimate the association between initial patients characteristics and the risk of development of PTS Methods - One hundred and eighty patients Included in the EDITH study for a first event of DVT of the lower limbs without clinical signs of venous insufficiency were recalled 4 years after their initial thrombotic event PTS was diagnosed according to the Villalta score Results - Ninety-five patients (45 men mean age 50 7 +/- 169 years) were evaluated for PTS Among them 284% (95%CI 19 3-37 5) developed PTS but none had severe PTS The most frequent clinical signs of PTS were varicose veins (59%) corona phlebectatica (48%) swelling leg (30%) and pigmented dermatitis (26%) No single risk factor was associated with PTS development (age sex BMI thrombophilia etiology localization recurrence symptomatic DVT and familial history of DVT) Conclusion - PTS is a frequent disease However lack of uniformity of diagnosis criteria in the different studies does not make possible the estimation of PTS risk factors (C) 2010 Societe nationale francaise de medecine Interne (SNFMI) Published by Elsevier Masson SAS All rights reserved