Correlates and consequences of venous thromboembolism: The Iowa Women's Health Study.
OBJECTIVE
We sought to document incidence, case-fatality, and recurrence rates of venous thromboembolism (VTE) in women and to explore the relationship of demographic, lifestyle, and anthropometric factors to VTE incidence.


METHODS
Data from participants aged 55 to 69 years in the Iowa Women's Health Study were linked to Medicare data for 1986 through 2004 (n = 40 377) to identify hospitalized VTE patients.


RESULTS
A total of 2137 women developed VTE, yielding an incidence rate of 4.04 per 1000 person-years. The 28-day case-fatality rate was 7.7%, and the 1-year recurrence rate was 3.4%. Educational attainment, physical activity, and age at menopause were inversely associated with VTE. Risk of secondary (particularly cancer-related) VTE was higher among smokers than among those who had never smoked. Body mass index, waist circumference, waist-to-hip ratio, height, and diabetes were positively associated with VTE risk. Hormone replacement therapy use was associated with increased risk of idiopathic VTE.


CONCLUSIONS
VTE is a significant source of morbidity and mortality in older women. Risk was elevated among women who were smokers, physically inactive, overweight, and diabetic, indicating that lifestyle contributes to VTE risk.
Lutsey
Pamela L
PL
University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, USA. lutsey@umn.edu
Virnig
Beth A
BA
Durham
Sara B
SB
Steffen
Lyn M
LM
Hirsch
Alan T
AT
Jacobs
David R
DR
Folsom
Aaron R
AR
D017677:Age Distribution; D000368:Aged; D000886:Anthropometry; D002423:Cause of Death; D048909:Diabetes Complications / Q000150:complications; D004522:Educational Status; D015914:Estrogen Replacement Therapy / Q000009:adverse effects; D015444:Exercise; D005260:Female; D006760:Hospitalization / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D007484:Iowa / Q000453:epidemiology; D008019:Life Style; D008498:Medical Record Linkage; D006278:Medicare / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D008875:Middle Aged; D009765:Obesity / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis; D016016:Proportional Hazards Models; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012008:Recurrence; D012307:Risk Factors; D012907:Smoking / Q000009:adverse effects; D014481:United States; D054556:Venous Thromboembolism / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology* / Q000517:prevention & control; D016387:Women's Health