D-Dimer Measured at Diagnosis of Venous Thromboembolism is Associated with Risk of Major Bleeding

Identification of patients at risk of major bleeding is pivotal for optimal management of anticoagulant therapy in venous thromboembolism (VTE). Studies have suggested that D-dimer may predict major bleeding during anticoagulation; however, this is scarcely investigated in VTE patients. We aimed to investigate the role of D-dimer, measured at VTE diagnosis, as a predictive biomarker of major bleeding. The study population comprised 555 patients with a first community-acquired VTE (1994–2016), who were identified among participants from the Tromsø study. Major bleeding events were recorded during the first year after VTE and defined according to the criteria of the International Society on Thrombosis and Haemostasis. Cox-regression was used to calculate hazard ratios (HRs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) adjusted for age, sex, and duration of anticoagulant therapy. In total, 29 patients experienced major bleeding (incidence rate: 5.7/100 person-years, 95% CI: 4.0–8.2). The major bleeding risk was highest during the first 3 months, especially in patients with D-dimer ≥8.3 µg/mL (upper 20th percentile), with 28.8 major bleedings/100 person-years (95% CI: 13.7–60.4). Patients with D-dimer ≥8.3 µg/mL had a 2.6-fold (95% CI: 1.1–6.6) higher risk of major bleeding than patients with D-dimer ≤2.3 µg/mL (lower 40th percentile). Major bleeding risk according to D-dimer ≥8.3 versus ≤2.3 µg/mL was particularly pronounced among those with deep vein thrombosis (HR: 4.6, 95% CI: 1.3–16.2) and provoked events (HR: 4.2, 95% CI: 1.0–16.8). In conclusion, our results suggest that D-dimer measured at diagnosis may serve as a predictive biomarker of major bleeding after VTE, especially within the initial 3 months.