title: The association between body mass index and pulmonary thromboembolism in an autopsy population.
abstract: To evaluate the association between obesity and pulmonary thromboembolism (PTE) in a forensic context, 160 autopsy cases of fatal PTE were compared with age- and gender-matched controls. The mean age of cases was 66 years (range 26-98 years; M/F 74:86). The mean body mass index (BMI) of cases with PTE was 30.88 (range 14.95-79.51), which was significantly higher than in the controls (mean BMI = 25.33; range 12.49-61.84) (p < 0.0001). Comparing the group with PTE with controls showed that five (3.1%) compared to 20 (12.5%) were underweight, 39 (24.4%) compared to 67 (41.88%) were of normal weight, 49 (30.63%) compared to 43 (26.88%) were overweight, 43 (26.88%) compared to 24 (15%) were obese, and 24 (15.0%) compared to six (3.75%) were morbidly obese. In each category of above-normal BMIs, there were significantly greater numbers in the groups with PTE: overweight (p < 0.01), obese (p < 0.001), and morbidly obese (p < 0.0001).
authors.affiliation: The University of Adelaide Medical School, Adelaide, SA 5005, Australia.
authors.forename: Hannah E
authors.initials: HE
authors.lastname: Rosenfeld
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Tsokos
authors.forename: Roger W
authors.initials: RW
authors.lastname: Byard
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D015992:Body Mass Index; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D005260:Female; D049429:Forensic Pathology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009765:Obesity / Q000453:epidemiology*; D011655:Pulmonary Embolism / Q000473:pathology*