Diabetes mellitus is associated with a higher relative risk for venous thromboembolism in females than in males

Abstract

AimsThe risk for developing venous thromboembolism (VTE) is about equal in both sexes. Research suggests diabetes mellitus (DM) is a risk factor for pulmonary embolism and deep vein thrombosis, both forms of VTE. We aimed at investigating the sex-specific impact of DM on VTE risk. Materials and methodsMedical claims data were analyzed in a retrospective, population-level cohort study in Austria between 1997 and 2014. 180,034 patients with DM were extracted and compared to 540,102 sex and age-matched controls without DM in terms of VTE risk and whether specific DM medications might modulate VTE risk. ResultsThe risk to develop VTE was 1.4 times higher amongst patients with DM than controls (95% CI 1.36–1.43, p < 0.001). The association of DM with newly diagnosed VTE was significantly greater in females (OR = 1.52, 95% CI 1.46–1.58, p < 0.001) resulting in a relative risk increase of 1.17 (95% CI 1.11–1.23) across all age groups with a peak of 1.65 (95% CI 1.43–1.89) between 50 and 59 years. Dipeptidyl peptidase 4 inhibitors were associated with a higher risk for VTE amongst female DM patients (OR = 2.3, 95% CI 1.3–4.3, p = 0.0096). ConclusionAmongst DM patients, females appear to be associated with a higher relative risk increase in VTE than males, especially during perimenopause.