Venous Thromboembolism Risk Varies With Body Type

Study suggests waist and hip circumference positively associated with higher embolism risk

TUESDAY, Oct. 27 (HealthDay News) -- There is a positive, dose-dependent association between risk of venous thromboembolism and all the measurements of obesity, such as waist and hip circumference, according to a study published online Oct. 26 in Circulation.

Marianne Tang Severinsen, M.D., of Aarhus University Hospital in Aalborg, Denmark, and colleagues conducted a study of 27,178 men and 29,876 women ages 50 to 64 years who participated in a diet, cancer and health study from 1993 to 1997 which provided anthropometric data, who were followed up 10 years later.

When the researchers looked at the 641 incidences of venous thromboembolism that occurred in the follow-up period, they found a dose-response relationship with all anthropometric measurements such as weight, body mass index, total body fat and the circumference of the waist and hips. How obesity affects the risk of venous thromboembolism is not known, the researchers note.

"The association between arterial thrombosis and obesity is explained in part by the strong association between central obesity and hypertension, type 2 diabetes mellitus, and dyslipidemia, all of which are major risk factors for atherosclerosis and arterial thrombosis; however, these factors are not established risk factors for venous thromboembolism," the authors write. "Therefore, the effect of obesity on venous thromboembolism risk may be mediated by other mechanisms."

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