Body height, mobility, and risk of first and recurrent venous thrombosis

Summary Background Tall people have an increased risk of a first venous thrombosis. Sedentary lifestyle has been shown to act synergistically with body height, especially during long‐haul flights. Objective To estimate the relation between height and risk of a first and recurrent venous thrombosis and a possible additional association with a mobile or an immobile lifestyle. Methods Patients with a first venous thrombosis and control subjects were included between 1999 and 2004 ( MEGA case–control study). Patients were followed for recurrence for an average time of 5.1 years ( MEGA follow‐up study). Odds ratios and hazard ratios (HRs) per increase of 5 cm were calculated compared with a height of 165–170 cm, separately and in combination with (im)mobility. Results In 4464 patients who reported their height, we found an increasing risk of a first and recurrent event with height. For men, a 2.9‐fold (95% confidence interval [CI] 1.9–4.4) increased risk for first venous thrombosis was found for those between 195 and 200 cm and a 3.8‐fold (95% CI 1.5–9.8) higher risk for those > 200 cm compared with the reference category. For recurrence risk, the HRs were 1.7 (95% CI 0.8–3.3) and 3.7 (95% CI 1.4–10.0), respectively. For women, a 1.5‐fold (95% CI 0.7–3.4) and 3‐fold (95% CI 0.9–9.4) increased risk was found for those > 185 cm for first and recurrent venous thrombosis, respectively. For the tallest men and women, a slight additionally increased risk was observed for sedentary lifestyle. Conclusions Tall men and women have an increased risk of first and recurrent venous thrombosis, possibly higher in combination with a sedentary lifestyle.