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A single-center, retrospective study has revealed an association between obesity and venous thromboembolism (VTE) in children and adolescents.
While obesity is a well-established risk factor for VTE in adults, previous studies in pediatric populations have yielded mixed results.
The new study, however, showed that obesity, as determined by body mass index (BMI), was a statistically significant predictor of VTE in juveniles.
The research was published in Hospital Pediatrics.
“This is important because the incidence of pediatric VTE has increased dramatically over the last 20 years, and childhood obesity remains highly prevalent in the United States,” said study author Elizabeth Halvorson, MD, of Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.
For this study, she and her colleagues conducted a retrospective chart review of inpatients at Wake Forest Baptist’s Brenner Children’s Hospital between January 2000 and September 2012.
The researchers identified 88 patients, ages 2 to 18, who had confirmed cases of VTE. The team compared these patients to control subjects (2 controls per case) matched by age, gender, and the presence of a central venous catheter.
Of the 88 patients with VTE, 33 (37.5%) were obese, although most of them had known risk factors for VTE in addition to obesity.
In univariate analysis, the researchers found a statistically significant association between VTE and obesity, or increased BMI z score (P=0.002).
In a multivariate analysis, obesity remained a significant predictor of VTE. The odds ratio (OR) was 3.1 (P=0.007).
Other factors were significant predictors of VTE as well, including bacteremia (OR: 4.9; P=0.02), a stay in the intensive care unit (OR: 2.5; P=0.02), and the use of oral contraceptives (OR: 17.4; P<0.001).
“Our study presents data from a single institution with a relatively small sample size,” Dr Halvorson noted. “But it does demonstrate an association between obesity and VTE in children, which should be explored further in larger future studies.” 
Photo by Matthew Lester
A single-center, retrospective study has revealed an association between obesity and venous thromboembolism (VTE) in children and adolescents.
While obesity is a well-established risk factor for VTE in adults, previous studies in pediatric populations have yielded mixed results.
The new study, however, showed that obesity, as determined by body mass index (BMI), was a statistically significant predictor of VTE in juveniles.
The research was published in Hospital Pediatrics.
“This is important because the incidence of pediatric VTE has increased dramatically over the last 20 years, and childhood obesity remains highly prevalent in the United States,” said study author Elizabeth Halvorson, MD, of Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.
For this study, she and her colleagues conducted a retrospective chart review of inpatients at Wake Forest Baptist’s Brenner Children’s Hospital between January 2000 and September 2012.
The researchers identified 88 patients, ages 2 to 18, who had confirmed cases of VTE. The team compared these patients to control subjects (2 controls per case) matched by age, gender, and the presence of a central venous catheter.
Of the 88 patients with VTE, 33 (37.5%) were obese, although most of them had known risk factors for VTE in addition to obesity.
In univariate analysis, the researchers found a statistically significant association between VTE and obesity, or increased BMI z score (P=0.002).
In a multivariate analysis, obesity remained a significant predictor of VTE. The odds ratio (OR) was 3.1 (P=0.007).
Other factors were significant predictors of VTE as well, including bacteremia (OR: 4.9; P=0.02), a stay in the intensive care unit (OR: 2.5; P=0.02), and the use of oral contraceptives (OR: 17.4; P<0.001).
“Our study presents data from a single institution with a relatively small sample size,” Dr Halvorson noted. “But it does demonstrate an association between obesity and VTE in children, which should be explored further in larger future studies.”
Photo by Matthew Lester
A single-center, retrospective study has revealed an association between obesity and venous thromboembolism (VTE) in children and adolescents.
While obesity is a well-established risk factor for VTE in adults, previous studies in pediatric populations have yielded mixed results.
The new study, however, showed that obesity, as determined by body mass index (BMI), was a statistically significant predictor of VTE in juveniles.
The research was published in Hospital Pediatrics.
“This is important because the incidence of pediatric VTE has increased dramatically over the last 20 years, and childhood obesity remains highly prevalent in the United States,” said study author Elizabeth Halvorson, MD, of Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.
For this study, she and her colleagues conducted a retrospective chart review of inpatients at Wake Forest Baptist’s Brenner Children’s Hospital between January 2000 and September 2012.
The researchers identified 88 patients, ages 2 to 18, who had confirmed cases of VTE. The team compared these patients to control subjects (2 controls per case) matched by age, gender, and the presence of a central venous catheter.
Of the 88 patients with VTE, 33 (37.5%) were obese, although most of them had known risk factors for VTE in addition to obesity.
In univariate analysis, the researchers found a statistically significant association between VTE and obesity, or increased BMI z score (P=0.002).
In a multivariate analysis, obesity remained a significant predictor of VTE. The odds ratio (OR) was 3.1 (P=0.007).
Other factors were significant predictors of VTE as well, including bacteremia (OR: 4.9; P=0.02), a stay in the intensive care unit (OR: 2.5; P=0.02), and the use of oral contraceptives (OR: 17.4; P<0.001).
“Our study presents data from a single institution with a relatively small sample size,” Dr Halvorson noted. “But it does demonstrate an association between obesity and VTE in children, which should be explored further in larger future studies.”