Cerebral Venous Thrombosis Finnish Nationwide Trends

Background and Purpose: Epidemiology of cerebral venous thrombosis (CVT) has been reported to be changing. Because long-term nationwide data are needed to confirm this, we studied CVT occurrence between 2005 and 2014 in Finland. Methods: All acute CVT admissions were retrieved from a mandatory registry covering mainland Finland. Patients aged >= 18 years were included. One admission per patient was allowed. Results: We identified 563 patients with CVT (56.5% women). Overall incidence was 1.32/100 000 (95% CI, 1.21-1.43) per year with a 5.0% annual increase. In people <55 years of age, incidence was 0.92/100 000 (0.76-1.10) for men and 1.65/100 000 (1.43-1.89) for women, whereas for those 55 years or older incidence was 1.61 (1.34-1.91) for men and 1.17 (0.96-1.41) for women. In-hospital mortality was 2.1% with no sex difference. One-year mortality was 7.9%. Long-term mortality was higher in men (adjusted hazard ratio, 1.61 [1.09-2.38]) and in older patients (1.95 [1.69-2.24]; per 10-year increment). Conclusions: Overall incidence of CVT in Finland was similar to that reported in the Netherlands and in Australia. There was a 5.0% yearly increase in the rate of admissions while in-hospital mortality was low. Sex-specific incidence rates differed markedly between younger and older people. Long-term mortality increased with age and was higher in men.

Automated summary

The study investigated the changing epidemiology of cerebral venous thrombosis (CVT) in Finland between 2005 and 2014. The overall incidence of CVT was found to be similar to that reported in the Netherlands and Australia, with a 5.0% annual increase in admissions and low in-hospital mortality. Sex-specific incidence rates differed significantly between age groups, and long-term mortality was higher in older patients and men.