Racial disparities exist when it comes to pulmonary embolism (PE) caused by COVID-19, according to research presented Wednesday afternoon at the RSNA 2021 meeting.
A team led by presenter Dr. Brandon Metra of Thomas Jefferson University found that Black COVID-19 patients were more likely than their white counterparts to develop pulmonary embolism, even after controlling for sociodemographic and clinical variables such as hypertension, diabetes, and obesity.
Pulmonary embolism is a common complication of COVID-19, the researchers noted. They sought to assess whether there are racial disparities in COVID-19-associated PE, using data from TriNetX, a research network that includes electronic health records from more than 73 million patients around the world. The team extracted data regarding adults with COVID-19 between January and September 2020, tracking clinical outcomes by race, with the primary outcome being developing PE or dying within 30 days of diagnosis.
Of 346,953 patients with COVID-19, 3,879 developed pulmonary embolism (1.18%), the researchers found. Out of the total cohort, 157,049 patients were white and 50,376 were Black. The investigators discovered that Black patients had a higher risk of mortality and PE compared to their white counterparts, and those with both COVID-19 and pulmonary embolism had a higher rate of 30-day mortality compared to white patients.
"Clinicians should consider racial disparities in the surveillance and management of pulmonary embolism associated with COVID-19," the group concluded.
![Axial images from unenhanced calcium score cardiac CT (left) and curved planar reformation images from CT angiography (right) show that higher long-term exposure to air pollution is associated with greater coronary artery calcium and more obstructive coronary artery disease (CAD). Top row: Images in a 68-year-old male patient with higher 10-year mean ambient air pollution exposure (7.9 μg/m3 for particulate matter measuring ≤2.5 μm in diameter [PM2.5] and 17.4 parts per billion [ppb] for NO2) with extensive CAD (coronary artery calcium score [CACS] >1,000 and obstructive CAD [≥70% diameter stenosis]). Bottom row: Images in a 57-year-old female patient with lower 10-year mean ambient air pollution exposure (6.3 μg/m3 for PM2.5 and 4.6 ppb for NO2) with no CAD (CACS = 0 and no obstructive stenosis).](https://img.auntminnie.com/mindful/smg/workspaces/default/uploads/2026/06/hanneman.r6SMLzkezo.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&dpr=2&fit=crop&h=167&q=70&w=250)
