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Smoking and Obesity Are Major Risk Factors for Thromboembolic Events: Presented at AHA By Ed Susman ORLANDO, Fla -- November 19, 2009 -- Smoking and obesity emerged as the major risk factors among people who develop venous thromboembolic events, including pulmonary embolism, according to researchers from the Copenhagen City Heart Study. Researchers indicated at the American Heart Association (AHA) Scientific Sessions 2009 that tobacco and increases in body mass index (BMI) contributed to the risk of venous thromboembolism in a dose-dependent fashion. “The more you smoke, the greater your risk,” said Anders Holst, MD, University Hospital Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen, Denmark, during his poster presentation on November 18. He reviewed data from the heart study that randomly observed 18,954 patients from 1976 through 2007. During that period 992 venous thrombotic events were recorded among the study participants. He said 732 of those events were primary (having unknown causes) while the remaining 260 were secondary events, caused as the result of fractures, prolonged bed rest, cancer, and procedures such as abdominal surgery and knee and hip replacements. Using never-smokers as the reference point, Dr. Holst observed that former smokers had an insignificant 2% increase in the risk of suffering deep vein thromboses or pulmonary embolism. Smokers who consumed 1 to 14 grams of tobacco (up to ~17 cigarettes) a day had a 31% increased risk of having an event (P = .006) and smokers who smoked 15 to 24 grams of tobacco a day (up to ~30 cigarettes) increased their risk of an event by 47% (P < .001), and those who smoked more than 25 grams of tobacco a day had a 60% increased risk (P = .001). Being overweight was another risk factor that was dose dependent. Having a BMI <20 was considered the reference point for measurement, but up to a BMI of 25 there was no significant difference in risk. If a person had a BMI between 25 and 30, the risk increased 27%, but that was not significant statistically (P = .15). A BMI of 30 to <35 did significantly increase risk 67% (P = .004), and having a BMI in excess of 35 more than doubled the risk of developing a venous thrombotic event (P < .001). “We did not calculate whether being overweight and smoking increased the individual risk or was synergistic and increased risk greater,” Dr. Holst said. “I think that is going to be my next project with this data -- to see how having more than one of the risk factors impacts venous thromboses.” “These findings from Denmark are what we would expect to see as causes of thrombotic events,” said Douglas Weaver, MD, Henry Ford Hospital, Detroit, Michigan. “Smoking and being obese puts you at risk for lots of bad things and this is just one more of them.” Funding for this study was provided by The Foundation of 17-12-1981; the John and Birthe Meyer Foundation; and the Danish National Research Foundation. [Presentation title: Risk Factors for Venous Thromboembolism: Results From the Copenhagen City Heart Study. Abstract 1634] E-mail this page to a friend or colleague! To print, use this version