Potential applicability of the D-dimer assay in elderly patients with suspected venous thromboembolism: importance of the sensitivity and specificity of the methods.

摘要

Recently, Harper et al. published data in this Journal of a very interesting study aimed to evaluate the applicability of the D-dimer test in patients with suspected venous thromboembolism (VTE) as a function of age. They showed and confirmed that the specificity of the quantitative enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) D-dimer kit (VIDAS, Biomerieux, Rhone, France) in suspected VTE declines with age, specifically, from 70.5% in patients younger than 40 years of age to 4.5% in patients 80 years of age and older. Similar specificity (5%) was previously reported by Righini et al. in patients more than 80 years of age with a low/moderate pre-test clinical probability (FTP; 51% in patients less than 40 years of age) using the same D-dimer method.