The incidence of cerebral venous thrombosis: a cross-sectional study

Abstract

Background and purpose: The purpose of this study was to determine the incidence of adult cerebral venous thrombosis.

Methods: A retrospective cross-sectional study was conducted among all 19 hospitals located in 2 Dutch provinces serving 3.1 million people. Adult cerebral venous thrombosis cases diagnosed between January 1, 2008, and December 31, 2010, were identified using the Dutch financial coding system for hospital care and the International Classification of Diseases, 9th Revision. Medical records of potential patients were hand searched to identify cerebral venous thrombosis cases. The Dutch National Bureau for Statistics provided population figures of the 2 provinces during 2008 to 2010.

Results: Among 9270 potential cases, we identified 147 patients diagnosed with cerebral venous thrombosis. Of these, 53 patients did not meet the inclusion criteria; therefore, 94 patients were included in the analysis. The overall incidence was 1.32 per 100 000 person-years (95% CI, 1.06-1.61). Among women between the ages of 31 and 50 years, the incidence was 2.78 (95% CI, 1.98-3.82).

Conclusions: The incidence of cerebral venous thrombosis among adults is probably higher than previously believed.