In Diabetes, Women Have Higher Risk for Venous Thromboembolism

THURSDAY, Jan. 5, 2023 (HealthDay News) — Individuals with diabetes mellitus (DM), especially women, have an increased risk for venous thromboembolism (VTE), according to a study published in the December issue of Diabetes Research and Clinical Practice.

Carola Deischinger, from the Medical University of Vienna, and colleagues analyzed medical claims data in a retrospective cohort study in Austria between 1997 and 2014 involving 180,034 patients with DM and 540,102 sex- and age-matched controls without DM. The sex-specific impact of DM on VTE risk was examined.

The researchers found that patients with DM had a 1.4 times higher risk for developing VTE than controls. Women had a significantly higher association of DM with newly diagnosed VTE (odds ratio, 1.52). Risk was increased 1.17-fold for women versus men with DM who were aged 20 to 79 years; the risk was highest among those aged 50 to 59 years at 1.65. Among female DM patients, dipeptidyl peptidase 4 inhibitors were associated with a higher risk for VTE (odds ratio, 2.3).

“Our findings suggest that women with diabetes mellitus should be monitored more carefully for the development of VTE, especially during their perimenopause,” one coauthor said in a statement.

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