Abstract Number: PB0436
Meeting: ISTH 2020 Congress
Theme: Diagnostics and OMICs » Biomarkers of Thrombosis and Hemostasis
Background: Several case-control studies have shown elevated plasma von Willebrand factor (VWF) levels in patients with venous thromboembolism (VTE) compared to control subjects. As VWF is an acute phase reactant, it is not known whether VWF is actually a risk factor or merely a consequence of the acute VTE event. Limited information exists on the association between plasma VWF levels and future risk of VTE.
Aims: To investigate whether plasma VWF levels were associated with future risk of incident VTE.
Methods: A nested case-control study including 414 cases and 843 randomly selected age- and sex-matched controls was derived from a population-based cohort (the Tromsø study). Baseline information was collected by blood samples and physical examinations in 1994-95. Unconditional logistic regression was used to estimate odds ratios (OR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI) for VTE across quartiles of VWF determined from levels in the control group. Ethical approval and informed written consent were obtained.
Results: The risk of VTE increased linearly across quartiles of plasma levels of VWF (P for trend=0.001). Participants with VWF in the highest quartile had an OR of 1.82 (95% CI 1.28-2.60) for VTE compared to those in the lowest quartile in the age- and sex-adjusted model. The OR was marginally affected after adjustment for body mass index (1.69, 95% CI 1.18-2.42). The effect was most apparent for unprovoked VTE (OR 2.55, 95% CI 1.50-4.35) and a substantially higher risk for VTE was observed in samples taken shortly before the VTE event. The OR for unprovoked VTE was 4.41 (95% CI 1.62-12.0) when the follow-up time was restricted to 5 years.
Conclusions: We found a dose-dependent relationship between plasma VWF levels and future risk of incident VTE, and unprovoked events in particular. Our findings suggest that plasma VWF levels may represent a promising biomarker of future risk of incident VTE.
To cite this abstract in AMA style:
Edvardsen MS, Hindberg K, Morelli VM, Ueland T, Aukrust P, Brækkan SK, Evensen LH, Hansen J-. Plasma Levels of von Willebrand Factor and Future Risk of Incident Venous Thromboembolism [abstract]. Res Pract Thromb Haemost. 2020; 4 (Suppl 1). https://abstracts.isth.org/abstract/plasma-levels-of-von-willebrand-factor-and-future-risk-of-incident-venous-thromboembolism/. Accessed October 2, 2023.« Back to ISTH 2020 Congress
ISTH Congress Abstracts - https://abstracts.isth.org/abstract/plasma-levels-of-von-willebrand-factor-and-future-risk-of-incident-venous-thromboembolism/