Thromb Haemost 2013; 110(01): 39-45
DOI: 10.1160/TH12-10-0790
Blood Coagulation, Fibrinolysis and Cellular Haemostasis
Schattauer GmbH

Alcohol intake and risk of venous thromboembolism

A Danish follow-up study
Freja Stoltze Gaborit
1   Department of Clinical Epidemiology, Aarhus University Hospital, Aalborg, Denmark
,
Kim Overvad
2   Department of Cardiology, Center for Cardiovascular Research, Aalborg Hospital, Aarhus University Hospital, Aalborg, Denmark
3   Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
,
Mette Nørgaard
1   Department of Clinical Epidemiology, Aarhus University Hospital, Aalborg, Denmark
,
Søren Risom Kristensen
4   Department of Clinical Biochemistry, Center for Cardiovascular Research, Aalborg Hospital, Aarhus University Hospital, Aalborg, Denmark
,
Anne Tjønneland
5   Institute of Cancer Epidemiology, Danish Cancer Society, Copenhagen, Denmark
,
Marianne Tang Severinsen
6   Department of Haematology, Aalborg Hospital, Aarhus University Hospital, Aalborg, Denmark
› Author Affiliations
Financial support: This study was financial supported by the Danish Cancer Society and by Aalborg Hospital.
Further Information

Publication History

Received: 07 December 2012

Accepted after major revision: 08 April 2013

Publication Date:
30 November 2017 (online)

Summary

Knowledge about the influence of alcohol intake on the risk of venous thromboembolism (VTE) is limited. We investigated the risk of VTE according to alcohol intake and drinking pattern among 27,178 men and 29,876 women participating in the Danish follow-up study Diet, Cancer and Health. Information on alcohol exposure and potential confounders were obtained from baseline questionnaires. We used Cox proportional hazard models to assess the association between VTE and alcohol intake. We performed separate analyses for the two sexes. During follow-up 619 incidents VTE events were verified. The lowest incidence rates of VTE were found for an average weekly intake of 3.9–13.9 standard drinks per weeks both for men and women. The adjusted hazard ratio (HR) was 0.91 [95%CI: 0.69–1.19] for women and 0.75 [95%CI: 0.56–1.02] for men according to an average alcohol intake of 3.9–13.9 standard drinks per week compared with low alcohol intake. In men, alcohol intake 2–6 times per week was associated with a lower risk of VTE compared to once per week (HR 0.77 [95%CI: 0.59–0.99]), but the difference disappeared after adjustment for total alcohol intake. We found no difference in the risk of VTE according to wine and beer intake. In conclusion, we found no consistent or statistically significant association between VTE and alcohol intake. Our data showed a u-formed association between alcohol intake and VTE, indicating that moderate alcohol intake may lower the risk of VTE with 10–30% in men.

 
  • References

  • 1 Ageno W, Becattini C, Brighton T. et al. Cardiovascular risk factors and venous thromboembolism: a meta-analysis. Circulation 2008; 117: 93-102.
  • 2 Rosendaal FR. Venous thrombosis: a multicausal disease. Lancet 1999; 353: 1167-1173.
  • 3 Rosendaal FR, VAN HV, Doggen CJ. Venous thrombosis in the elderly. J Thromb Haemost 2007; 05 (Suppl. 01) 310-317.
  • 4 Severinsen MT, Kristensen SR, Johnsen SP. et al. Smoking and venous thromboembolism: a Danish follow-up study. J Thromb Haemost 2009; 07: 1297-1303.
  • 5 Wattanakit K, Lutsey PL, Bell EJ. et al. Association between cardiovascular disease risk factors and occurrence of venous thromboembolism. Thromb Haemost 2012; 108: 508-515.
  • 6 White RH. The epidemiology of venous thromboembolism. Circulation 2003; 107 (23) Suppl (Suppl. 01) I4-I8.
  • 7 Lee KW, Lip GY. Effects of lifestyle on hemostasis, fibrinolysis, and platelet reactivity: a systematic review. Arch Intern Med 2003; 163: 2368-2392.
  • 8 de GG, Di CA, Donati MB. et al. The mediterranean lecture: wine and thrombosis--from epidemiology to physiology and back. Pathophysiol Haemost Thromb 2003; 33: 466-471.
  • 9 Allen NE, Beral V, Casabonne D. et al. Moderate alcohol intake and cancer incidence in women. J Natl Cancer Inst 2009; 101: 296-305.
  • 10 Lindqvist PG, Epstein E, Olsson H. The relationship between lifestyle factors and venous thromboembolism among women: a report from the MISS study. Br J Haematol 2009; 144: 234-240.
  • 11 Lutsey PL, Steffen LM, Virnig BA. et al. Diet and incident venous thromboembolism: the Iowa Women’s Health Study. Am Heart J 2009; 157: 1081-1087.
  • 12 Pahor M, Guralnik JM, Havlik RJ. et al. Alcohol consumption and risk of deep venous thrombosis and pulmonary embolism in older persons. J Am Geriatr Soc 1996; 44: 1030-1037.
  • 13 Pomp ER, Rosendaal FR, Doggen CJ. Alcohol consumption is associated with a decreased risk of venous thrombosis. Thromb Haemost 2008; 99: 59-63.
  • 14 Glynn RJ, Rosner B. Comparison of risk factors for the competing risks of coronary heart disease, stroke, and venous thromboembolism. Am J Epidemiol 2005; 162: 975-982.
  • 15 Varraso R, Kabrhel C, Goldhaber SZ. et al. Prospective Study of Diet and Venous Thromboembolism in US Women and Men. Am J Epidemiol 2012; 175: 114-126.
  • 16 Hansen-Krone I, Brækkan SK, Enge KF, Wilsgaard T, Hansen JB. Alcohol consumption, type of alcoholic beverage and risk of venous thromboembolism -The Tromsø Study. Thromb Haemost 2011; 106: 272-278.
  • 17 Tjonneland A, Olsen A, Boll K. et al. Study design, exposure variables, and socioeconomic determinants of participation in Diet, Cancer and Health: a population-based prospective cohort study of 57,053 men and women in Denmark. Scand J Public Health 2007; 35: 432-441.
  • 18 Tjonneland AM, Overvad OK. Diet, cancer and health--a population study and establishment of a biological bank in Denmark. Ugeskr Laeger 2000; 162: 350-354.
  • 19 Pedersen CB, Gotzsche H, Moller JO. et al. The Danish Civil Registration System. A cohort of eight million persons. Dan Med Bull 2006; 53: 441-449.
  • 20 Andersen TF, Madsen M, Jorgensen J. et al. The Danish National Hospital Register. A valuable source of data for modern health sciences. Dan Med Bull 1999; 46: 263-268.
  • 21 Severinsen MT, Kristensen SR, Overvad K. et al. Venous thromboembolism discharge diagnoses in the Danish National Patient Registry should be used with caution. J Clin Epidemiol 2010; 63: 223-228.
  • 22 Ferreira MP, Willoughby D. Alcohol consumption: the good, the bad, and the indifferent. Appl Physiol Nutr Metab 2008; 33: 12-20.
  • 23 Severinsen MT, Johnsen SP, Tjonneland A. et al. Body height and sex-related differences in incidence of venous thromboembolism: a Danish follow-up study. Eur J Intern Med 2010; 21: 268-272.