Cardiovascular Risk Factors Associated With Venous Thromboembolism

Analysis of data from the Emerging Risk Factors Collaboration (ERFC) and the UK Biobank including 1.1 million participants, found that older age, smoking, and adiposity were consistently associated with higher venous thromboembolism risk.

The following observations were noted:

 

• Older age was linked to higher risk of venous thromboembolism (VTE), with ~2.8-fold higher risk per decade in ERFC and 1.8-fold higher risk per decade in UK Biobank.

 

• Males had a higher risk of VTE in UK Biobank (HR, 1.44; 95% CI, 1.32-1.56), somewhat less in ERFC (1.17; 95% CI, 0.998-1.38).

 

• Current smoking was associated with VTE risk in ERFC (1.38; 95% CI, 1.20-1.58), but less so in UK Biobank (1.23; 95% CI, 1.08-1.40).

 

• Markers of adiposity (BMI, waist-to-hip ratio, and waist circumference) were positively associated with higher VTE risk in both ERFC and UK Biobank