Incidence, risk factors, and mortality of pulmonary embolism in the Netherlands (2015–22): sex differences and shifts during the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic

Epidemiology of pulmonary embolism (PE) may have shifted since the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. This study aimed to describe temporal trends in PE epidemiology in the Netherlands since 2015.

Using nationwide data from Statistics Netherlands, all Dutch inhabitants (>16 million) without a history of PE were dynamically identified on 1 January of each year to assemble eight cohorts of PE-free Dutch inhabitants in 2015–22. They were individually followed until the end of that respective year to determine 1-year risk of PE (identified by hospital diagnoses/primary cause of death) and establish relevant risk factors. The PE cases were subsequently studied to determine 1-year all-cause mortality following PE. Multivariable logistic regression with cluster-robust standard errors and robust Poisson regression were respectively employed to evaluate relative differences in PE incidence and mortality between years.

Pulmonary embolism incidence in the Dutch population decreased from 2015 to 2019 but markedly increased by 23% (95% confidence interval 20%–26%), 52% (48%–56%), and 7% (4%–9%) in 2020–22 (vs. 2019), respectively. Most traditional PE risk factors remained associated with PE in 2020–22 but generally with a weaker association. Pulmonary embolism mortality was stable until 2019 but then increased by 10% (6%–14%) in 2020 and 9% (6%–13%) in 2021, while the increase [2% (−1% to 6%)] was insignificant in 2022. The above-mentioned changes since 2020 were generally greater in males than females.

The seemingly favourable pre-pandemic temporal trends in PE epidemiology in the Netherlands reversed during the COVID-19 pandemic but appear to revert to pre-pandemic levels after 2022.