Family History of Myocardial Infarction Is a Risk Factor for Venous Thromboembolism Among Whites But Not Among Blacks

• Authors: Fatima D. Mili, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; W. Craig Hooper, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; Cathy Lally, Emory University; Harland Austin, Emory University
• Journal Title: Clinical and Applied Thrombosis/Hemostasis
• Volume: Volume 19, Number 4
• Publisher: SAGE Publications (UK and US): Open Access Titles | 2013-07, Pages 410-417
• Type of Work: Article | Final Publisher PDF
• Publisher DOI: http://doi.org/10.1177/1076029612448419
• Subjects: Biology, Genetics; Health Sciences, Medicine and Surgery
• Keywords: comorbid condition; epidemiology; ethnicity; family history; myocardial infarction; venous thrombosis

Abstract

In addition to potentially sharing common pathogenesis and clinical manifestations, venous and arterial thromboses might have overlapping risk factors. To evaluate the family history of myocardial infarction (MI) as a risk factor for venous thromboembolism (VTE) among whites and blacks, we analyze data from the Genetic Attributes and Thrombosis Epidemiology (GATE) study. Results indicate that the association between VTE and a family history of MI is statistically significant only among whites (odds ratio [OR] = 1.3; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.03-1.8), particularly when they have diabetes mellitus (OR = 3.1; 95% CI = 1.2-8.0). Among blacks, the association between VTE and a family history of MI is not statistically significant (OR = 1.2; 95% CI = 0.89-1.5) either among those with diabetes or those without diabetes. We conclude that a family history of MI is a risk factor for VTE among certain populations stratified by race and comorbid conditions.