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Thromb Haemost 1998; 79(01): 28-31
DOI: 10.1055/s-0037-1614213
Review Article
Schattauer GmbH

Third Generation Oral Contraceptives and Heritable Thrombophilia as Risk Factors of Non-fatal Venous Thromboembolism

Birthe Søgaard Andersen
1   From The Danish Epidemiology Science Centre at the Department of Epidemiology and Social Medicine, University of Aarhus, Aarhus, Denmark
2   Department of Internal Medicine M, Aalborg Hospital, Aalborg, Denmark
,
Jørn Olsen
1   From The Danish Epidemiology Science Centre at the Department of Epidemiology and Social Medicine, University of Aarhus, Aarhus, Denmark
,
Gunnar Lauge Nielsen
1   From The Danish Epidemiology Science Centre at the Department of Epidemiology and Social Medicine, University of Aarhus, Aarhus, Denmark
2   Department of Internal Medicine M, Aalborg Hospital, Aalborg, Denmark
,
Flemming Hald Steffensen
1   From The Danish Epidemiology Science Centre at the Department of Epidemiology and Social Medicine, University of Aarhus, Aarhus, Denmark
2   Department of Internal Medicine M, Aalborg Hospital, Aalborg, Denmark
,
Henrik Toft Sørensen
1   From The Danish Epidemiology Science Centre at the Department of Epidemiology and Social Medicine, University of Aarhus, Aarhus, Denmark
3   Department of Internal Medicine V, Aarhus University Hospital, Aarhus, Denmark
,
John Baech
4   Department of Clinical Immunology, Aalborg Hospital, Aalborg, Denmark
,
Henrik Gregersen
4   Department of Clinical Immunology, Aalborg Hospital, Aalborg, Denmark
› Author Affiliations
Further Information

Publication History

Received 24 June 1997

Accepted after revision 22 August 1997

Publication Date:
08 December 2017 (online)

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Summary

Third generation oral contraceptives (OCs) are apparently stronger risk factors for venous thromboembolism (VTE) than other OCs, however, the increased risk may be due to confounding by indication related to differences in prescription behaviour.

We estimated the risk of VTE associated with use of OCs with and without the presence of Factor V Leiden mutation, protein C-, protein S- or antithrombin deficiency.

Sixty-seven cases with VTE were compared with 134 controls. The risk of VTE in the presence of thrombophilia was of the same magnitude for third generation OC users as for users of other OCs; OR: 52.5 (95% CI: 3.7-738.1) and OR: 63.3 (95% CI: 6.2-648.4), respectively.

It is unlikely that confounding by indication entirely explains the risk of VTE associated with third generation OCs since the combined effect exceeds what could be explained if this source of error was the only determinant of the association.

 

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