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Thromb Haemost 2009; 102(04): 615-619
DOI: 10.1160/TH09-04-0274
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Schattauer GmbH

C-reactive protein and venous thromboembolism

A prospective investigation in the ARIC cohort
Aaron R. Folsom
1   Division of Epidemiology & Community Health, School of Public Health, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
,
Pamela L. Lutsey
1   Division of Epidemiology & Community Health, School of Public Health, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
,
Brad C. Astor
2   Department of Epidemiology, The Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, The Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland, USA; 3Department of Medicine, University of Vermont, Burlington, Vermont, USA
,
Mary Cushman
3   Department of Pathology, University of Vermont, Burlington, Vermont, USA
› Author AffiliationsFinancial Support: This study was funded by National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute grant R01 HL59367 (LITE), National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases grant R01 DK076770, and contracts N01-HC-55015, N01-HC-55016, N01-HC-55018, N01-HC-55019, N01-HC-55020, N01-HC-55021, and N01-HC-55022 (ARIC).
Further Information

Publication History

Received: 28 April 2009

Accepted after minor revision: 22 July 2009

Publication Date:
30 November 2017 (online)

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Summary

The role of inflammation in the causation of venous thromboembolism (VTE) is uncertain. In 10,505 participants of the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) Study, we assessed the association of the systemic inflammation marker, elevated C-reactive protein (CRP), with incidence of VTE (n=221) over a median of 8.3 years of follow-up. Adjusted for age, race, and sex, the hazard ratios of VTE across quintiles of CRP were 1.0, 1.61, 1.16, 1.56, and 2.31 (p for trend p<0.0007). For CRP above the upper 10 percentile (≥8.55 mg/L), compared with the lowest 90% of CRP values, the hazard ratio of VTE was 2.07 (95% CI 1.47, 2.94). Further adjustment for baseline hormone replacement therapy, diabetes, and body mass index attenuated the hazard ratios only slightly. For example, the adjusted hazard ratio of VTE was 1.76 (95% CI 1.23, 2.52) for CRP above versus below the 90th percentile. In conclusion, this prospective, populationbased study suggests elevated CRP is independently associated with increased risk of VTE.

Keywords

C-reactive protein - prospective study - pulmonary embolus - venous thrombosis
 

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