Major illness increases venous thrombosis risk

In an effort to evaluate the effect of several major illnesses on the development of venous thrombosis and identify high-risk groups, Gurbey Ocak, M.D., Ph.D., of the Leiden University Medical Center in the Netherlands, and colleagues conducted a case-control study involving 4,311 consecutive patients with a first episode of venous thrombosis and 5,768 controls.

The researchers identified an increased risk of venous thrombosis for all major illnesses, including liver disease (odds ratio [OR], 1.7); kidney disease (OR, 3.7); rheumatoid arthritis (OR, 1.5); multiple sclerosis (OR, 2.4); heart failure (OR, 1.7); hemorrhagic stroke (OR, 4.9); arterial thrombosis (OR, 1.5); and in the presence of any of these major illnesses (OR, 1.7). Dramatic increases in the risk of venous thromboembolism were seen for individuals with a combination of major illness plus immobilization and an increased clotting factor VIII (OR, 79.9); elevated factor IX (OR, 35.3); increased von Willebrand factor (OR, 88.0); factor V Leiden (OR, 84.2); or blood group non-O (OR, 84.2).

"These risks were most pronounced at time of immobilization and in the presence of thrombophilia," the authors write. "These results could be a guide for future thromboprophylaxis decisions."

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