Open AccessSex‐specific aspects of venous thromboembolism: What is new and what is next?
Author(s) -
Scheres Luuk J. J.,
Hylckama Vlieg Astrid,
Cannegieter Suzanne C.
Publication year - 2022
Publication title -
research and practice in thrombosis and haemostasis
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
ISSN - 2475-0379
DOI - 10.1002/rth2.12722
Subject(s) - venous thromboembolism , polycystic ovary , medicine , sex hormone binding globulin , venous thrombosis , hormone , fat distribution , pregnancy , thrombosis , obesity , biology , insulin resistance , androgen , genetics
Men seem to have a higher intrinsic risk of venous thromboembolism (VTE) than women, regardless of age. To date, this difference has not been explained. By integrating state‐of‐the‐art research presented at the International Society on Thrombosis and Haemostasis Congress of 2021 with the available literature, we address potential explanations for this intriguing risk difference between men and women. We discuss the role of exogenous and endogenous sex hormones as the most important known sex‐specific determinants of VTE risk. In addition, we highlight clues on the role of sex hormones and VTE risk from clinical scenarios such as pregnancy and the polycystic ovary syndrome. Furthermore, we address new potential sex‐specific risk factors and unanswered research questions, which could provide more insight in the intrinsic risk difference between men and women, such as body height and differences in body fat distribution, leading to dysregulation of metabolism and inflammation.