A report titled, “Association of Sarcoidosis With Increased Risk of VTE: A Population-Based Study, 1976 to 2013,” recently released information that patients with sarcoidosis have a 3-fold increased risk for developing venous thromboembolism (VTE) than people who do not have the disease.
So what is VTE, and what exactly is sarcoidosis?
Sarcoidosis is an inflammatory rare disease that mainly affects the lungs and lymph nodes in the body.
Patients with sarcoidosis develop abnormal masses (or nodules) called “granulomas.” These granulomas build up in (mainly) the lungs and lymph nodes and other parts of the body. Consequently, they hinder normal bodily function in these areas.
To read more about the disease, click here.
VTE, or venous thromboembolism, happens when blood clots form in the veins. When this happens and travels to certain parts of the body, like the lungs, this condition can be incredibly dangerous and deadly.
Importantly, there are two types of conditions associated with venous thromboembolism: pulmonary embolism and deep venous thrombosis. The former of these, venous thrombosis, is what happens when a blood clot forms in a deep vein; typically, this is located in the leg. Signs of venous thrombosis include swelling and pain in the affected area, coupled with redness and warmth.
The latter condition is the most severe because of the life-threatening nature of “pulmonary embolism,” which is an associated complication of deep venous thrombosis. In these cases, the blood clot detaches itself and makes its way to the lungs.
Needless to say, VTE is a very serious condition that is often followed by surgery, immobilization, surgery, malignancy, and aging. To learn more about VTE, read this.
Importantly, researchers have begun to discover that certain types of inflammation, like those that are present in sarcoidosis, are possible triggers for VTE.
In the previously mentioned sarcoidosis/VTE report, patients with sarcoidosis were 3.04 times more likely to develop VTE than control subjects were. More specifically, patients with sarcoidosis were 3.14 times more likely to develop deep venous thrombosis and 4.29 times more likely to experience pulmonary embolism.
With all of this new data, there is much more to learn about regarding the connection between these two conditions, as well as new treatments that could be developed knowing this connection. Researchers have already stated that additional studies are warranted in order to figure out how best to handle the risk of VTE in a clinical setting.
