Time Spent Sitting Is Associated with Incident PE in Women

Immobilization (e.g., while hospitalized or on a long flight) is a risk factor for deep venous thrombosis and pulmonary embolism (PE). But what about time spent sitting during a typical day? In this prospective cohort study, investigators used data from the Nurses' Health Study to assess the association between self-reported time sitting — a proxy for physical inactivity — and idiopathic PE.

In 1990, nearly 70,000 women (mean age, 57) began reporting their daily sitting times outside work hours. Each woman was assigned to one of five categories ranging from least time sitting (<10 hours weekly) to most time sitting (>40 hours weekly). During the 18-year study, 268 cases of PE occurred. Women in the highest quintile were more than twice as li…