Background: Several chronic inflammatory disorders, such as rheumatoid arthritis, inflammatory myositis, and systemic vasculitides, have been linked to an increased risk of venous thromboembolism (VTE). However, the data on systemic sclerosis (SSc) remains unclear.
Methods: We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of observational studies that reported odds ratio, relative risk, hazard ratio, or standardized incidence ratio comparing risk of VTE in patients with SSc versus non-SSc participants. Pooled risk ratio and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated using a random-effect, generic inverse variance method of DerSimonian and Laird.
Results: Out of 776 potentially relevant articles, five eligible studies were identified and included in the data analysis. The pooled risk ratio of VTE in patients with SSc was 2.51 (95% CI, 1.79-3.54). The statistical heterogeneity of this study was high with an I2 of 90%.
Conclusions: Our study demonstrated a statistically significant increased VTE risk among patients with SSc.
Keywords: Epidemiology; Meta-analysis; Scleroderma; Systemic sclerosis; Venous thromboembolism.