Physical activity and risk of first-time venous thromboembolism

Background Physical activity may have a protective effect against venous thromboembolism (VTE). The aim of this study was to investigate the association between leisure time physical activity, occupational physical activity, and the risk of VTE in men and women separately. Methods The population-based, prospective Venous thromboEmbolism In Northern Sweden (VEINS) cohort study included 108,025 participants of health examinations between 1985 and 2014. Physical activity data were collected by questionnaire. Participants were followed from health examination to first-time VTE event, death, emigration or the end of the study. All VTE events were validated by reviewing medical records and radiology reports. Results During 1,496,669 person-years, 2054 participants experienced VTE. Women who performed leisure time physical activity at least once a week had a lower risk of first-time VTE (hazard ratio (HR) 0.83; 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.71-0.98 after adjustments) compared with women with less or no physical activity. Furthermore, women with high occupational physical activity also had a lower risk of VTE (HR 0.85; 95% CI 0.74-0.98). In men, there was no consistent association between either measure of physical activity and the risk of VTE. Conclusion We found an association between increased physical activity and a lower risk of first-time VTE in women.