Physical activity and risk of venous thromboembolism. The Tromsø study

Abstract

Background Previous studies have shown differences in the impact of regular physical exercise on the risk of venous thromboembolism. The inconsistent findings may have depended on differences in study design and specific population cohorts (men only, women only and elderly). We conducted a prospective, population-based cohort to investigate the impact of regular physical exercise on the risk of venous thromboembolism.Design and Methods Risk factors, including self-reported moderate intensity physical exercise during leisure time, were recorded for 26,490 people aged 25–97 years old, who participated in a population health survey, the Tromsø study, in 1994–95. Incident venous thromboembolic events were registered during the follow-up until September 1, 2007.Results There were 460 validated incident venous thromboembolic events (1.61 per 1000 person-years) during a median of 12.5 years of follow-up. Age, body mass index, the proportion of daily smokers, total cholesterol, and serum triglycerides decreased (P