Reduction in physical function in women after venous thromboembolism

Area of Science:

• Gerontology
• Epidemiology
• Cardiovascular Medicine

Background:

• Physical function is crucial for healthy aging.
• Limited research exists on the link between venous thromboembolism (VTE) and long-term physical function.
• Understanding this association is vital for maintaining quality of life in aging populations.

Purpose of the Study:

• To prospectively evaluate the relationship between VTE and the decline in physical function.
• To assess this association in a large cohort of women from the Nurses' Health Study (NHS) and Nurses' Health Study II (NHS II).

Main Methods:

• Prospective cohort study involving over 160,000 women (NHS and NHS II).
• Physical function assessed using the Medical Outcomes Short Form-36 physical function scale every 4 years.
• Multivariable linear regression used to compare changes in physical function between women with and without incident VTE.

Main Results:

• Incident VTE was associated with a significant decline in physical function over 4 years in both NHS (-6.5 points) and NHS II (-3.8 points) cohorts.
• The decline was more pronounced in women reporting pulmonary embolism (NHS: -7.4 points; NHS II: -4.8 points).
• This decline was equivalent to approximately 6.2 years of aging, with a lower absolute physical function level observed post-VTE.

Conclusions:

• Incident VTE is strongly linked to an acute decrease in physical function.
• Pulmonary embolism exacerbates this functional decline.
• Clinical strategies to mitigate functional deficits following VTE diagnosis are warranted.