Obesity as a risk factor in venous thromboembolism

Purpose Whether obesity is an independent risk factor for pulmonary embolism or deep venous thrombosis has not been fully determined. Methods We used the database of the National Hospital Discharge Survey to further investigate the potential risk of obesity in venous thromboembolic disease. Results The relative risk of deep venous thrombosis, comparing obese patients with non-obese patients, was 2.50 (95% confidence interval [CI] = 2.49-2.51). The relative risk of pulmonary embolism was 2.21 (95% CI = 2.20-2.23). Obese females had a greater relative risk for deep venous thrombosis than obese males, 2.75 (95% CI = 2.74-2.76) versus 2.02 (95% CI = 2.01-2.04). Obesity had the greatest impact on both men and women aged less than 40 years. Conclusion The data indicate that obesity is a risk factor for venous thromboembolic disease in men as well as women.