Obesity, poor muscle strength, and venous thromboembolism in older persons: the InCHIANTI study.
BACKGROUND
Both obesity and the decline in muscle strength, which often occur with aging, are accompanied by functional and metabolic changes that may affect the risk of thrombosis. This study evaluated whether obesity and poor muscle strength are associated with venous thromboembolism (VTE).


METHODS
Objectively confirmed VTEs were assessed at baseline and more than a 6-year follow-up in 1,045 participants more than or equal to 60 years enrolled in the InCHIANTI study.


RESULTS
At baseline, 97 participants had a positive history of VTE. Obese participants were almost twice more likely (odds ratio 1.76; 95% confidence interval 1.03-3.01) and obese with poor muscle strength were threefold more likely (odds ratio 2.99; 95% confidence interval 1.56-5.73) to have VTE compared with lean participants with normal strength. Fifty-five VTEs occurred during follow-up. History of VTE, obesity, and/or poor strength independently predicted new VTE events. In participants with previous VTE, the odds ratio (95% confidence interval) for thrombosis was 6.64 (1.92-22.95) with poor strength, 9.69 (3.13-30.01) in the obese, and 14.57 (5.16-41.15) in the obese with poor strength as compared with lean participants with normal strength.


CONCLUSIONS
Obesity with or without poor muscle strength is a risk factor for VTE among older persons and significantly amplifies the risk of recurrent thrombosis.
Department of Medicine and Aging, Centre for Aging Sciences (Ce.S.I.), University G. d'Annunzio Foundation, Chieti, Italy. mdinisio@unich.it
Marcello
M
Di Nisio
Angelo
A
Di Iorio
Ettore
E
Porreca
Michele
M
Abate
Noemi
N
Ferrante
Stefania
S
Bandinelli
Jack
J
Guralnik
Raffaele
R
Molino-Lova
Franco
F
Cuccurullo
Luigi
L
Ferrucci
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000375:Aging; D015992:Body Mass Index; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D053580:Muscle Strength / Q000502:physiology*; D009765:Obesity / Q000150:complications*; D015995:Prevalence; D012042:Registries; D012307:Risk Factors; D020246:Venous Thrombosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology*