THURSDAY, Feb. 13, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- For postpartum women, the risk of thrombosis is elevated for at least 12 weeks after delivery, according to a study presented at the American Heart Association's International Stroke Conference, held from Feb. 12 to 14 in San Diego.
Hooman Kamel, M.D., from the Weill Cornell Medical College in New York City, and colleagues used administrative claims data for all acute care emergency departments and hospitals in California to compare the risk of thrombotic events during sequential six-week periods after delivery. Data were included for 648,148 women with a first documented thrombotic event between 2007 and 2011, of which 1,620 had delivered during the previous 24 weeks.
The researchers found that the risk of thrombosis was markedly higher in the zero-to-six week period after delivery compared with one year earlier (odds ratio, 6.6; 95 percent confidence interval [CI], 5.1 to 8.4). The thrombotic risk remained elevated during the six- to 12-week period after delivery (odds ratio, 2.3; 95 percent CI, 1.8 to 3.1). The risk essentially normalized in the 12- to 18-week period and fully resolved in the 18- to 24-week period (odds ratios, 1.2 [95 percent CI, 0.9 to 1.6] and 0.9 [95 percent CI, 0.7 to 1.2], respectively). Similar patterns were observed in sensitivity analysis and on assessment of the specific end point of stroke, acute myocardial infarction, pulmonary embolism, and deep vein thrombosis.
"Clinicians should consider our results when caring for high-risk postpartum patients, such as those with previous clots, or postpartum patients with symptoms concerning for thrombosis," Kamel said in a statement.
Press Release
More Information
