Rural-urban differences in pulmonary embolism mortality by race-ethnicity and sex in the United States, 1999–2020

Introduction : Racial and ethnic differences in pulmonary embolism (PE) mortality within rural and urban regions in the U.S. have not previously been described. PE mortality may vary across regions and urbanization given disparities in social and structural determinants and comorbid disease. Methods : Using surveillance data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, age-adjusted mortality rates (AAMR) related to PE were calculated for rural and urban regions in the U.S., in non-Hispanic Black and White women and men, between 1999 and 2020. Results : Among 137,946 deaths in urban regions and 41,333 deaths in rural regions due to PE during this period, AAMR decreased 1.8% per year in urban regions from 3.1 to 100,000 in 1999 to 2.2 per 100,000 in 2020, and decreased 1% per year in rural regions from 4.3 to 100,000 in 1999 to 3.3 per 100,000 in 2020. Since 2008, AAMR from PE increased in non-Hispanic White males in rural and urban regions, decreased in non-Hispanic Black females in rural regions, and otherwise remained stagnant in all other race-sex groups. Conclusions : AAMR from PE was higher in rural compared with urban individuals, with differences by race and sex. Mortality rates remained stagnant over the last decade in non-Hispanic Black adults and non-Hispanic White females and increased in non-Hispanic White males.