Increased risk for venous thromboembolism among patients with concurrent depressive, bipolar, and schizophrenic disorders

Objective: The study aim was to investigate the risk of venous thromboembolism (VTE) in patients with concurrent depressive, bipolar, and schizophrenic disorders. Methods: A population-based cohort study was conducted in which information regarding psychiatric illnesses and medical comorbidities in 29,467 patients with concurrent depressive, bipolar, and schizophrenic disorders and regarding 117,868 controls were extracted. We compared the incidence of VTE between the study and control cohorts. Cox proportional hazard regression models were used to analyze the risk of VTE after adjusting for potential confounders, including sex, age, and comorbidities. Results: Compared with the control cohort, the overall study cohort had a 2.995-fold higher adjusted hazard ratio (aHR) for development of deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and a 2.591-fold higher aHR for development of pulmonary embolism (PE). Moreover, patients with depressive, bipolar, and schizophrenic disorders all exhibited higher aHRs for development of both DVT and PE. Conclusion: The relative risks of DVT and PE were higher in patients with concurrent depressive, bipolar, and schizophrenic disorders than those of the general population. Further research is needed to develop effective prevention strategies for different patient populations.