Pulmonary embolism in adolescents
D. Bernstein, S. Coupey and S. K. Schonberg
To clarify the epidemiology of pulmonary embolism in adolescents, a
retrospective analysis of adolescent admissions to a general hospital over
a 15-year period was performed. Eighteen patients had 19 episodes of
pulmonary embolism, an incidence of 78 per 100,000 hospitalized
adolescents. There were twice as many female as male patients. Common
complaints were chest pain, dyspnea, cough, and hemoptysis. Common findings
were hypoxemia and deepvein thrombosis. Major risk factors were oral
contraceptive use and elective abortion in 75% of female patients and
trauma in 67% of male patients. Unlike its effect in adults, pulmonary
embolism is rarely fatal in adolescents. Although clinical features in
adolescents are similar to those in adults, there is a high incidence of
both overdiagnosis and underdiagnosis. The early use of pulmonary
arteriography in difficult diagnostic situations is suggested.
