Low D-dimer levels at diagnosis of venous thromboembolism are associated with reduced risk of recurrence: data from the TROLL registry.

Background: Venous thromboembolism (VTE) is a frequent disease with a high risk of recurrence. It has been suggested that the D-dimer level at the time of VTE diagnosis can be used to identify patients at a low risk of recurrence.
Objectives: We aimed to investigate the impact of D-dimer levels measured at the time of VTE diagnosis on the risk of recurrence in a large cohort of patients with a first-time VTE.
Methods: The study included 2585 patients with first symptomatic non-cancer-associated VTE from the Venous Thrombosis Registry in Østfold Hospital (TROLL) (2005-2020). All recurrent events during the follow-up were recorded, and cumulative incidences of recurrence were estimated according to D-dimer levels of ≤1900 ng/mL (≤25th percentile) and >1900 ng/mL.
Results: During a median follow-up of 3.3 years, 395 patients experienced a recurrent VTE. The 1- and 5-year cumulative incidences of recurrence were 2.9% (95% CI: 1.8-4.6) and 11.4% (95% CI: 8.7-14.8), respectively, in those with a D-dimer concentration of ≤1900 ng/mL and 5.0% (95% CI, 4.0-6.1) and 18.3% (95% CI: 16.2-20.6), respectively, in those with a D-dimer concentration of >1900 ng/mL, respectively. In patients with unprovoked VTE, the 5-year cumulative incidence was 14.3% (95% CI: 10.3-19.7) in the ≤1900-ng/mL category, and 20.2% (95% CI: 17.3-23.5) in the >1900-ng/mL category.
Conclusions: D-dimer levels within the lowest quartile, measured at the time of VTE diagnosis, were associated with lower recurrence risk. Our findings imply that D-dimer levels measured at the time of diagnosis may be used to identify patients with VTE at a low risk of recurrent VTE.
Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interests C.T.J. reports lecture honoraria from Bayer. H.H.P. reports receiving fees from Sanofi and Novartis. W.G. reports receiving fees for participation in an advisory board from Amgen, Novartis, Pfizer, Principia Biopharma Inc—a Sanofi Company, Sanofi, SOBI, Grifols, UCB, Argenx, Cellphire; lecture honoraria from Amgen, Novartis, Pfizer, Bristol Myers Squibb, SOBI, Grifols, Sanofi, and Bayer; and research grants from Bayer, BMS/Pfizer, and UCB. The remaining authors F.B.R, S.K.B, and J.-B.H have no competing interests to disclose.
(Copyright © 2023 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)