OBJECTIVE To investigate the association between use of combined oral contraceptives and risk of venous thromboembolism, taking the type of progestogen into account. DESIGN Two nested case-control studies. SETTING General practices in the United Kingdom contributing to the Clinical Practice Research Datalink (CPRD; 618 practices) and QResearch primary care database (722 practices). PARTIC...

Venous thromboembolism, which includes deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism, is the result of an imbalance among procoagulant, anticoagulant and profibrinolytic processes. This imbalance reflects a complex interplay between genetic and environmental or acquired risk factors. Genetic thrombophilic defects influence the risk of a first episode of thrombosis. How these defects influence the...

BACKGROUND The use of warfarin sodium for treating venous thromboembolism in patients with cancer is associated with a significant risk of recurrence and bleeding. The use of low-molecular-weight heparin sodium for secondary prevention of venous thromboembolism in cancer patients may reduce the complication rate. OBJECTIVE To determine whether a fixed dose of subcutaneous low-molecular-weight...

BACKGROUND The factor V Leiden mutation is a genetic defect associated with an increased incidence of venous thromboembolism. When the incidence of venous thromboembolism in relatives of patients known to have the mutation outweighs the disadvantages of prophylactic strategies, family screening may be necessary. OBJECTIVE To determine the incidence of venous thromboembolism in first-degree re...

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES The clinical expression of factor V Leiden varies widely within and between families and only a minority of carriers will ever develop venous thromboembolism. Co-segregation of thrombophilic disorders is a possible explanation. Our aim was to assess the contributions of high levels of factor VIII:C, factor XI:C, thrombin activatable fibrinolysis inhibitor (TAFI) and li...

STUDY OBJECTIVE Prediction rules for pulmonary embolism use variables explicitly shown to estimate the probability of pulmonary embolism. However, clinicians often use variables that have not been similarly validated, yet are implicitly believed to modify probability of pulmonary embolism. The objective of this study is to measure the predictive value of 13 implicit variables. METHODS Patient...

OBJECTIVE To estimate the incidence and determine the characteristic features of venous thromboembolism in the Hong Kong Chinese population. DESIGN Retrospective study. SETTING Regional hospital, Hong Kong. SUBJECTS AND METHODS Data were collected during a period of four years (1997-2000). Patients with duplex doppler ultrasonography or venography-documented venous thromboembolism and new...

OBJECTIVE To examine the association between venous thromboembolism and prolonged work- and computer-related seated immobility. DESIGN A case-control study. PARTICIPANTS AND SETTING Cases were 200 patients attending venous thromboembolism clinics with a history of deep vein thrombosis and/or pulmonary embolism in the past six months, and controls were 200 patients treated in fracture clinic...

BACKGROUND Little is known about the prognosis of cancer discovered during or after an episode of venous thromboembolism. METHODS We linked the Danish National Registry of Patients, the Danish Cancer Registry, and the Danish Mortality Files to obtain data on the survival of patients who received a diagnosis of cancer at the same time as or after an episode of venous thromboembolism. Their sur...

BACKGROUND Standard therapy to prevent recurrent venous thromboembolism includes 3 to 12 months of treatment with full-dose warfarin with a target international normalized ratio (INR) between 2.0 and 3.0. However, for long-term management, no therapeutic agent has shown an acceptable benefit-to-risk ratio. METHODS Patients with idiopathic venous thromboembolism who had received full-dose anti...