Age-related diagnostic value of D-dimer testing and the role of inflammation in patients with suspected deep vein thrombosis
Abstract Previous reports have investigated the impact of age on D-Dimer testing in elderly individuals with suspected deep vein thrombosis (DVT), but data on the age-related diagnostic value of D-dimer in a sample covering a broad age range are limited. The present study determined age-specifically...
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| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | article |
| Language: | EN |
| Published: |
Nature Portfolio
2017
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://doaj.org/article/7d8eabf175fc4b579959a61339d0d0c8 |
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| Summary: | Abstract Previous reports have investigated the impact of age on D-Dimer testing in elderly individuals with suspected deep vein thrombosis (DVT), but data on the age-related diagnostic value of D-dimer in a sample covering a broad age range are limited. The present study determined age-specifically the diagnostic accuracy of D-dimer and compared it to C-reactive protein (CRP), a marker of inflammation, in 500 patients with suspected DVT from the VTEval project (NCT02156401). Sensitivity of D-dimer was lower in patients < 60 years in comparison to patients ≥ 60 years (∆−16.8%), whereas specificity was 27.9% higher. Lowest levels of sensitivity were detected for female sex, unprovoked DVT, low thrombotic burden, and distal DVT. A fixed D-dimer threshold of 0.25 mg/L FEU resulted in elevated sensitivity for patients < 60 with a reduction of false negatives by 40.0% for proximal DVT and by 50.0% for distal DVT. In patients < 60 years, D-dimer and CRP demonstrated comparable diagnostic performance for both proximal and distal DVT (p > 0.05). In conclusion, these data outline a clinically-relevant limitation of D-dimer testing among younger patients with suspected DVT indicating a necessity for age-adapted cut-off values. Further research is required to decrypt the role of inflammation in the pathophysiology and diagnosis of venous thrombosis. |
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