Objective To investigate the risk factors,characteristics and prognosis in Tibetan patients with venous thromboembolism. Methods Tibetan patients with VTE from plateau area,admitted in West China Hospital from January 2010 to December 2012,were recruited in the study. The VTE diagnosis was confirmed by CT pulmonary angiogram (CTPA) or vascular ultrasound examination. Risk factors,clinical symptoms,signs and laboratory tests were retrospectively investigated and follow-up by telephone interview was conducted. Results 31 Tibetan VTE patients with 16 males and 15 females were included. The investigation of risk factors revealed that 15 patients suffered from obese(48.3%),10 patients suffered from highly viscous hyperlipidemia(32.3%). The most common clinical symptom was dyspnea(29%),followed by chest pain(19.4%),hemoptysis(16.1%) and cough(12.9%). The common signs were lower extremity edema(73.3%) and lung rale(36.7%). All the patients received anticoagulation therapy,and inferior vena caval filters were implanted in 2 patients. In two years' follow-up after discharge,2 patients died of tumor,2 died of pulmonary embolism,6 patients suffered from chronic embolization syndrome with lower extremity edema or pain,1 patient suffered from pulmonary hypertension after embolization,and thrombus in 20 patients disappeared or recanalized. Conclusion Tibetans long-termly reside in high altitude areas with the eating habits of high-fat diet,which may increase the incidence of acquired risk factors such as viscous hyperlipidemia and obesity. There are no specific clinical symptoms and signs among Tibetan VTE patients,with dyspnea as the most common symptom and lower extremity edema as the most common sign. Patients with risk factors which can be eliminated in a short term have better prognosis.

Citation： Li Huawei, Zhou Haixia, Shen Yongchun, Yi Qun, Yang Jing, Wang Bo, Wang Xiaoqing. Clinical Analysis of 31 Tibetan Patients with Venous Thromboembolism. Chinese Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, 2013, 12(2): 198-202. doi: 10.7507/1671-6205.2014047 Copy

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