High risk of recurrent venous thromboembolism in men.
BACKGROUND
We have analyzed the influence of gender on risk of recurrence after a first episode of venous thromboembolism (VTE).


METHODS
The Cambridge Venous Thromboembolism Study (CVTE) is a single-center study of a cohort of unselected patients with a first episode of objectively proven VTE.


RESULTS
Recurrence rates were significantly higher in men compared with women [log rank chi2=11.82; hazard ratio (HR) 2.66; 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.49, 4,77; P=0.0006]. The cumulative recurrence rate at 2 years was 19.2% in men and 7.7% in women. There was no evidence of a difference in recurrence between men with or without thrombophilia (log rank chi2=0.03; HR 1.08; 95% CI 0.49, 2.37; P=0.855). The high recurrence rate in men compared with women was still observed when only patients with idiopathic VTE were analyzed (log rank chi2=4.38; HR 2.31; 95% CI 1.027, 5.20; P=0.0363). The recurrence risk was highest in men with a first idiopathic event at 25.7% compared with 11.7% for women in the same category.


CONCLUSIONS
The risk of recurrent VTE is higher in men than in women.
Baglin
T
T
Addenbrooke's NHS Trust, Cambridge CB2 2QQ, UK. tpb20@cam.ac.uk
Luddington
R
R
Brown
K
K
Baglin
C
C
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D015331:Cohort Studies; D004967:Estrogens / Q000378:metabolism; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016016:Proportional Hazards Models; D012008:Recurrence; D012306:Risk; D012307:Risk Factors; D012737:Sex Factors; D013923:Thromboembolism / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000473:pathology*; D019851:Thrombophilia / Q000150:complications; D013997:Time Factors; D020246:Venous Thrombosis / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000473:pathology*
D004967:Estrogens