Is Venous Thromboembolism a Risk Factor for Arterial Events?

Carotid artery atherosclerosis is more common in patients with idiopathic venous thrombosis than in healthy individuals (New Engl J Med 2003; 348:1435). Concurrence of these two conditions should not be surprising, given that several risk factors (e.g., older age, obesity, smoking) underlie both conditions. However, few prospective studies have compared the prevalence of arterial events in persons with or without venous thromboembolism (VTE).

To evaluate the relation between idiopathic VTE and arterial disease, investigators in the Netherlands performed a cohort study of 688 patients with pulmonary embolism (PE). In 259 patients, PE was provoked (occurring in association with cancer, surgery, trauma, prolonged immobility, or pregnancy); in 9…