Prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors in persons with venous thromboembolism aged 50 years or younger

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 years, have an increased prevalence of potentially modifiable CVD risk factors, which could be targeted for prevention. We aimed to estimate the prevalence of potentially modifiable CVD risk factors (ie, overweight/obesity, smoking, alcohol use, physical inactivity, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, and dyslipidemia) in persons aged ≤50 years with a history of VTE (cases) and compare with those without VTE (controls). Using data from the Multiple Environmental and Genetic Assessment of risk factors for venous thrombosis case-control study comprising 2627 case patients with first VTE and 1908 random digit dialing control patients, 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 case and control patients. The prevalence of overweight and obesity, sedentary behavior, and current smoking was higher in case than control patients. When stratified for sex, obesity was highest in women: 24.9% in case vs 9.9% in control patients. Sedentary behavior was more common in case patients than control patients: women, 57.8% vs 41.1%; and 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 was similar to that of control patients from the general population, suggesting limited benefits from screening these factors in young patients with VTE. Weight reduction and smoking cessation strategies are key targets for CVD prevention.