Incidence of Venous Thromboembolism in Asian Patients With Inflammatory Bowel Disease: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Although incidence and prevalence of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) have been gradually increasing throughout Asia, incidence of venous thromboembolism (VTE) in Asia is relatively lower than that in Western and is not well known. This study aimed to evaluate incidence of VTE in Asian IBD patients using a systematic review and meta-analysis.

METHODS

Studies were identified through literature search of the PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane databases (from inception inclusive April 2024) for English studies. The criteria for selecting participants were as follows: (1) studies including patients with Crohn's disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis in the Asian population; (2) comparisons were specified as with control group of non-IBD patients for comparative incidence; and (3) outcomes were measured by relative risks (RRs) and hazard risk for VTE incidence in nationwide cohort studies. Three independent reviewers extracted published data using standardized procedure in accordance with the reporting guidelines. A fixed-effects model was used to estimate pooled effect sizes. Meta-regression analyses were conducted to identify the potential moderating effects of VTE risk in IBD patients.

RESULTS

Five studies met the inclusion criteria. The pooled RR for overall VTE incidence in Asian IBD patients compared with that in non-IBD patients was 2.065 (95% CI: 1.905-2.238). There was no statistical moderating effect of the variables (mean age, female rate, CD proportion, and country) on the outcomes.

CONCLUSIONS

In our study, VTE incidence in Asian IBD patients was higher than that in non-IBD patients. It seemed reasonable to consider prophylaxis for VTE in hospitalized IBD patients.