title: Alcohol consumption is associated with a decreased risk of venous thrombosis.
abstract: Moderate alcohol consumption is associated with lower levels of several coagulation factors. It is an established protective factor for cardiovascular disease; however, the effect on venous thrombosis is unknown. In a large population-based case-control study, we evaluated the association between alcohol consumption and the risk of venous thrombosis. The MEGA study included consecutive patients with a first venous thrombosis between March 1999 and September 2004 from six anticoagulation clinics in the Netherlands. Partners of patients were asked to participate, and additional controls were recruited using a random digit dialling method. All participants completed a standardized questionnaire, and blood samples were collected. A total of 4,423 patients and 5,235 controls were included in the analyses. Alcohol consumption was associated with a reduced risk of venous thrombosis, with 2-4 glasses per day resulting in the largest beneficial effect (odds ratio [OR] 0.67, 95% confidence interval [CI95] 0.58-0.77) compared to abstainers. The effect was more pronounced in women (OR 0.66, CI95 0.53-0.84) than men (OR 0.82, CI95 0.63-1.07) and also more striking for pulmonary embolism (OR 0.56, CI95 0.46-0.70) than for deep venous thrombosis of the leg (OR 0.74, CI95 0.63-0.88). Compared to abstainers, fibrinogen levels were decreased in individuals who consumed alcohol (maximum decrease: 0.30 g/l). Factor VII and von Willebrand levels were mildly decreased in these individuals but not consistently over the categories of alcohol consumption. In conclusion, alcohol consumption is associated with a reduced risk of venous thrombosis, which may be in part mediated by decreased fibrinogen levels.
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Epidemiology, C9-P, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Elisabeth R
authors.initials: ER
authors.lastname: Pomp
authors.forename: Frits R
authors.initials: FR
authors.lastname: Rosendaal
authors.forename: Carine J M
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Doggen
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000009:adverse effects*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D015536:Down-Regulation; D005167:Factor VII / Q000378:metabolism; D005260:Female; D005340:Fibrinogen / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009426:Netherlands; D016017:Odds Ratio; D011655:Pulmonary Embolism / Q000097:blood / Q000209:etiology* / Q000517:prevention & control; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012307:Risk Factors; D012737:Sex Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D020246:Venous Thrombosis / Q000097:blood / Q000209:etiology* / Q000517:prevention & control; D014841:von Willebrand Factor / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D014841:von Willebrand Factor; D005167:Factor VII; D005340:Fibrinogen