Prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors in persons with venous thromboembolism aged fifty years or younger

• Whether younger venous thromboembolism (VTE) patients have a higher prevalence of modifiable cardiovascular risk factors is unknown.

• Weight reduction and smoking cessation strategies seem key targets for cardiovascular disease prevention in young VTE patients.

The risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) is elevated in individuals with a history of venous thromboembolism (VTE). It is uncertain whether younger patients, aged <50, have an increased prevalence of potentially modifiable CVD risk factors that could be targeted for prevention.

To estimate the prevalence of potentially modifiable CVD risk factors (i.e., overweight/obesity, smoking, alcohol use, physical inactivity, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, dyslipidemia) in persons ≤50 years with history of VTE (cases) and compare to those without VTE (controls).

Using data from the MEGA case-control study comprising 2627 cases with first VTE and 1908 random digit dialing controls, all aged ≤50 years, we estimated the prevalence of risk factors. Analyses were stratified by sex and were performed separately for unprovoked and provoked events.

The prevalence of hypertension, diabetes, dyslipidemia and excessive alcohol intake was low and similar between cases and controls. The prevalence of overweight and obesity, sedentary behavior and current smoking were higher in cases than controls. When stratified for sex, obesity was highest in women: 24.9% in cases vs 9.9% in controls. Sedentary behaviour was more common in cases than controls: women 57.8% vs 41.1% and in men, 48.7% vs 41.5% respectively.

In persons aged ≤50 years with recent VTE, the prevalence of hypertension, diabetes mellitus, dyslipidemia and alcohol intake were similar to that of controls from the general population, suggesting limited benefits from screening these factors in young VTE patients. Weight reduction and smoking cessation strategies are key targets for CVD prevention.