The Obesity Mortality Paradox in Patients with Pulmonary Embolism: Insights from a Tertiary Care Center

Abstract

<b>Background:</b> While obesity is associated with an increased risk of venous thromboembolism (VTE), there is some data to suggest that higher BMI is also associated with decreased all-cause mortality in patients with a pulmonary embolism (PE). <b>Methods:</b> Using PE Response Team (PERT) activation data from a large tertiary hospital between 27 October 2020 and 28 August 2023, we constructed a multivariate Cox proportional hazards model to assess the association between obesity as a dichotomous variable (defined as BMI ≥ 30 vs. BMI 18.5-29.9), BMI as a continuous variable, and 30-day PE-related mortality. <b>Results:</b> A total of 248 patients were included in this analysis (150 with obesity and 98 who were in the normal/overweight category). Obesity was associated with a lower risk of 30-day PE-related mortality (adjusted HR 0.29, <i>p</i> = 0.036, 95% CI 0.09-0.92). A higher BMI was paradoxically associated with a lower risk of PE-related mortality (HR = 0.91 per 1 kg/m² increase, <i>p</i> = 0.049, 95% CI 0.83-0.999). <b>Conclusions:</b> In our contemporary cohort of patients with a PERT activation, obesity was associated with a lower risk of PE-related mortality.