Takeaway
- The risk for major bleeding events was consistently higher in patients with systemic sclerosis (SSc) than the general population in the United Kingdom.
Why this matters
- No previous studies have investigated the types and risks of bleeding events in patients with SSc.
Study design
- 1314 patients with SSc and 19,992 matched SSc-free comparison cohort were followed until December 2013 using The Health Improvement Network UK primary care database (2000-2012).
- Funding: Bayer AG.
Key results
- Patients with SSc vs general population had higher incidence rates [95% CI] per 1000 person-years for:
- any bleeding (15.5 [13.0-18.6] vs 12.9 [12.3-13.5]),
- haemorrhagic stroke (0.5 [0.1-1.2] vs 0.3 [0.2-0.4]),
- gastrointestinal bleeding (4.1 [2.9-5.8] vs 3.3 [3.0-3.6]),
- pulmonary haemorrhage (2.5 [1.5-3.8] vs 1.7 [1.5-1.9]), and
- urogenital bleeding (8.4 [6.5-10.6] vs 7.5 [7.0-7.9]).
- After adjustment for confounders, patients with SSc vs general population had a higher risk for:
- any bleeding (HR, 1.21; 95% CI, 1.00-1.46),
- haemorrhagic stroke (HR, 1.51; 95% CI, 0.54-4.21),
- pulmonary haemorrhage (HR, 1.50; 95% CI, 0.96-2.35),
- gastrointestinal bleeding (HR, 1.08; 95% CI, 0.75-1.54), and
- urogenital bleeding (HR, 1.28; 95% CI, 1.00-1.64).
- The risk was more frequently higher in patients with SSc with organ involvement than those without organ involvement and in those with diffuse cutaneous SSc.
Limitations
- Insufficient information in the database to classify patients with SSc into 2 major subtypes.
References
References