Research Article

Comorbidity burden and the role of hydroxychloroquine in venous thromboembolism risk among rheumatoid arthritis patients: a retrospective case-control study

Volume: 7 Number: 5 September 15, 2025
TR EN

Comorbidity burden and the role of hydroxychloroquine in venous thromboembolism risk among rheumatoid arthritis patients: a retrospective case-control study

Abstract

Aims: Patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) are at increased risk for venous thromboembolism (VTE). This study aims to identify clinical characteristics and treatment-related factors associated with VTE in RA patients. Methods: A retrospective analysis of 363 RA patients was conducted, including 34 RA patients with documented VTE. Demographics, comorbidities, and treatment data were compared between patients with and without VTE. Age-and sexmatched subgroup analysis and multivariate logistic regression were used to identify independent predictors of VTE. Results: The mean age of RA patients with VTE was 66.8 (11.5) and 30 (88.2) were female. VTE was significantly associated with older age, hypertension, hyperlipidemia, and higher Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI). In the multivariate model, higher CCI was independently associated with VTE (OR 2.84, 95% CI: 1.46–3.80, p<0.001). Hydroxychloroquine use was negatively associated with VTE (OR 0.34, 95% CI: 0.10–0.86, p=0.049). Other DMARDs and glucocorticoids did not show independent associations. Conclusion: A high comorbidity burden significantly increases VTE risk in RA patients and HCQ use was associated with lower odds of VTE. These findings highlight the importance of individualized comorbidity management and suggest a potential role for hydroxychloroquine in thrombosis prevention in RA.

Keywords

Supporting Institution

None

Ethical Statement

The study was approved by “ the Ethics Committee of the Hacettepe University Faculty of Medicine” (No. GO: 21–1069; date: October 5, 2021).

Thanks

Dear Editor, 21/07/2025 We would like to submit our research article “Comorbidity Burden and the Role of Hydroxychloroquine in Venous Thromboembolism Risk Among Rheumatoid Arthritis Patients: A Retrospective Case-Control Study” for consideration to be published in  Anatolian Current Medical Journal . The manuscript has not been and will not be submitted to any other journal while it is under consideration by  Anatolian Current Medical Journal . Each individual named as an author meets the journal’s criteria for authorship. Each author listed on the manuscript has seen and approved the submission of this version of the manuscript and takes full responsibility for the manuscript. None of the authors received financial support, and no potential conflicts of interest exist for this work. Authors agree to bear the applicable publication charges if the manuscript is accepted for publication. Kindest regards, Gül Sandal UZUN, MD e-mail: gullusandaluzun@gmail.com

References

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  5. Mease P, Charles-Schoeman C, Cohen S, et al. Incidence of venous and arterial thromboembolic events reported in the tofacitinib rheumatoid arthritis, psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis development programmes and from real-world data. Ann Rheum Dis. 2020;79(11):1400-1413. doi:10. 1136/annrheumdis-2019-216761
  6. Charles-Schoeman C, Fleischmann R, Mysler E, et al. Risk of venous thromboembolism with tofacitinib versus tumor necrosis factor inhibitors in cardiovascular risk-enriched rheumatoid arthritis patients. Arthritis Rheumatol. 2024;76(8):1218-1229. doi:10.1002/art.42846
  7. Desai RJ, Pawar A, Khosrow-Khavar F, Weinblatt ME, Kim SC. Risk of venous thromboembolism associated with tofacitinib in patients with rheumatoid arthritis: a population-based cohort study. Rheumatology (Oxford). 2021;61(1):121-130. doi:10.1093/rheumatology/keab294
  8. Duran E, Unaldi E, Bilgin E, et al. AB0416 cardiovascular event, venous thromboembolizm, and infection risk with tofacitinib in rheumatoid arthritis patients aged ≥ 60 years. Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases. 2022;81:1336. doi:10.1136/annrheumdis-2022-eular.4309

Details

Primary Language

English

Subjects

Rheumatology and Arthritis

Journal Section

Research Article

Publication Date

September 15, 2025

Submission Date

July 22, 2025

Acceptance Date

August 17, 2025

Published in Issue

Year 2025 Volume: 7 Number: 5

APA
Sandal Uzun, G., Yücel, O., Kaygusuz, Y., Bahap, M., Kiraz, S., Ertenli, İ., Kılıç, L., & Kalyoncu, U. (2025). Comorbidity burden and the role of hydroxychloroquine in venous thromboembolism risk among rheumatoid arthritis patients: a retrospective case-control study. Anatolian Current Medical Journal, 7(5), 597-601. https://doi.org/10.38053/acmj.1747743
AMA
1.Sandal Uzun G, Yücel O, Kaygusuz Y, et al. Comorbidity burden and the role of hydroxychloroquine in venous thromboembolism risk among rheumatoid arthritis patients: a retrospective case-control study. Anatolian Curr Med J / ACMJ / acmj. 2025;7(5):597-601. doi:10.38053/acmj.1747743
Chicago
Sandal Uzun, Güllü, Ozan Yücel, Yunus Kaygusuz, et al. 2025. “Comorbidity Burden and the Role of Hydroxychloroquine in Venous Thromboembolism Risk Among Rheumatoid Arthritis Patients: A Retrospective Case-Control Study”. Anatolian Current Medical Journal 7 (5): 597-601. https://doi.org/10.38053/acmj.1747743.
EndNote
Sandal Uzun G, Yücel O, Kaygusuz Y, Bahap M, Kiraz S, Ertenli İ, Kılıç L, Kalyoncu U (September 1, 2025) Comorbidity burden and the role of hydroxychloroquine in venous thromboembolism risk among rheumatoid arthritis patients: a retrospective case-control study. Anatolian Current Medical Journal 7 5 597–601.
IEEE
[1]G. Sandal Uzun et al., “Comorbidity burden and the role of hydroxychloroquine in venous thromboembolism risk among rheumatoid arthritis patients: a retrospective case-control study”, Anatolian Curr Med J / ACMJ / acmj, vol. 7, no. 5, pp. 597–601, Sept. 2025, doi: 10.38053/acmj.1747743.
ISNAD
Sandal Uzun, Güllü - Yücel, Ozan - Kaygusuz, Yunus - Bahap, Melda - Kiraz, Sedat - Ertenli, İhsan - Kılıç, Levent - Kalyoncu, Umut. “Comorbidity Burden and the Role of Hydroxychloroquine in Venous Thromboembolism Risk Among Rheumatoid Arthritis Patients: A Retrospective Case-Control Study”. Anatolian Current Medical Journal 7/5 (September 1, 2025): 597-601. https://doi.org/10.38053/acmj.1747743.
JAMA
1.Sandal Uzun G, Yücel O, Kaygusuz Y, Bahap M, Kiraz S, Ertenli İ, Kılıç L, Kalyoncu U. Comorbidity burden and the role of hydroxychloroquine in venous thromboembolism risk among rheumatoid arthritis patients: a retrospective case-control study. Anatolian Curr Med J / ACMJ / acmj. 2025;7:597–601.
MLA
Sandal Uzun, Güllü, et al. “Comorbidity Burden and the Role of Hydroxychloroquine in Venous Thromboembolism Risk Among Rheumatoid Arthritis Patients: A Retrospective Case-Control Study”. Anatolian Current Medical Journal, vol. 7, no. 5, Sept. 2025, pp. 597-01, doi:10.38053/acmj.1747743.
Vancouver
1.Güllü Sandal Uzun, Ozan Yücel, Yunus Kaygusuz, Melda Bahap, Sedat Kiraz, İhsan Ertenli, Levent Kılıç, Umut Kalyoncu. Comorbidity burden and the role of hydroxychloroquine in venous thromboembolism risk among rheumatoid arthritis patients: a retrospective case-control study. Anatolian Curr Med J / ACMJ / acmj. 2025 Sep. 1;7(5):597-601. doi:10.38053/acmj.1747743

 

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