Inflammatory plasma markers and risk for venous thromboembolism

Venous thromboembolism (VTE) and arterial thrombosis have been thought to result from two different mechanisms. Recent data indicate that the two diseases may share some common risk factors, such as the activity of inflammation on haemostasis. In this population-based study we explored whether raised levels of inflammation-sensitive plasma markers (ISPs) increase the risk for venous thromboembolism. Measurements of five ISPs (fibrinogen, haptoglobin, ceruloplasmin, α1-antitrypsin and orosomucoid) were performed in 6,068 subjects from “the Malmö Preventive Study”. These apparently healthy men from the city of Malmö in Sweden, were included in the study between 1974 and 1982 and followed up until 2008. We calculated the hazard ratio (HR) for VTE in relation to the number of raised ISPs as well as individual ISPs in the fourth quartile. Mean follow-up time was 26.2 years. Out of the cohort (n = 6,068), 398 (6.6 %) had a venous thromboembolism during the follow-up. The number of raised ISPs was significantly associated with age, BMI and smoking. Age, BMI and diabetes mellitus type 2 were also significant risk factors for developing a VTE (HR = 1.05 with p < 0.01 and 95 % CI 1.01–1.08, HR = 1.10 with p < 0.001 and 95 % CI 1.06–1.14 and HR = 1.78 with p < 0.05 and 95 % CI 1.13–2.81, respectively). Incidence of venous thromboembolism was not significantly related to number of raised inflammatory proteins (p for trend = 0.37) or any of the individual ISPs. Age and BMI is significantly associated with the risk for developing VTE. Incidence of VTE was not associated with any of the inflammatory proteins.