Letters
The pill and thrombosis
Venous thromboembolism is egregiously underestimated
BMJ 2011; 342 doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.d3344 (Published 31 May 2011) Cite this as: BMJ 2011;342:d3344
- Samuel Shapiro, epidemiologist and emeritus professor1
- 1Boston University, Boston, MA, USA
- samshap{at}mweb.co.za
The two papers on oral contraceptives and thrombosis egregiously underestimated the incidence of venous thromboembolism (VTE), making the results impossible to interpret.1 2
In Jick and Hernandez’s report the incidence rates of idiopathic plus non-idiopathic VTE in drosperinone and levonorgestrel users were 5.0 per 10 000 women years (idiopathic cases comprised 61% of total …