Abnormally high prevalence of major components of the metabolic syndrome in subjects with early-onset idiopathic venous thromboembolism.

BACKGROUND

Although patients with idiopathic VTE are at higher than normal risk of asymptomatic atherosclerosis and of cardiovascular events, the impact of cardiovascular risk factors on VTE is poorly understood.

OBJECTIVE

To assess the prevalence of the metabolic syndrome and of its components in patients with early-onset idiopathic VTE.

METHODS

As many as 323 patients referred to our Thrombosis Ward for a recent (<6-months) early-onset idiopathic venous thromboembolism (VTE), were compared with 868 gender- and age-matched subjects, in whom a history of venous thrombosis had been excluded, referred during the same period time to our Ward. All had undergone a clinical assessment for smoking habits and for the presence of the components of the metabolic syndrome.

RESULTS

The metabolic syndrome was detected in 76/323 cases (23.5%) and in 81/868 controls (9.3%) (p<0.001; OR:2.990; 95%C.I.:2.119-4.217). Smoking was more common in patients with idiopathic VTE than in controls. In addition to the metabolic syndrome as a whole, its major individual determinants (arterial hypertension, impaired fasting glucose plasma levels, abdominal obesity, hypertriglyceridemia, low HDL-cholesterol) significantly correlated with idiopathic VTE (p always <0.05). The prevalence of thrombotic events was lower in females than in males (p=0.000; OR:2.217), the latter being most often hypertensives, smokers, hypertriglyceridemics, carriers of a metabolic syndrome and of impaired fasting glucose than females. In a multivariate analysis, arterial hypertension, impaired fasting glucose, abdominal obesity, and hypercholesterolemia independently predicted idiopathic venous events.

CONCLUSIONS

Both metabolic syndrome as a whole and its major components individually considered, independently predict early-onset idiopathic VTE.