Meta-analysis of alcohol consumption and venous thromboembolism

The associations of alcohol consumption and venous thromboembolism (VTE) have been investigated widely, but the conclusions have been inconsistent. A study summarised the relationship of alcohol consumption and venous thromboembolism. The results are published in the Journal of Public Health.
Researchers searched the PubMed, Embase, Web of Science and the Cochrane Library databases from inception to September 2019 to identify studies assessing the association between alcohol consumption and risk of venous thromboembolism.
Fourteen cohorts and four case-control studies were included in the meta-analysis. Compared with non-drinkers, the risk of venous thromboembolism was decreased (RR: 0.93; 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.88-0.99) for alcohol drinkers. The pooled RRs of venous thromboembolism were 0.91 (95% CI 0.84-0.99) for low to moderate alcohol intake (0.1-14.0 drinks/week) and 0.91 (95% CI 0.78-1.06) for high alcohol intake (>14.0 drinks/week) compared with non-drinker. Subgroup analysis showed liquor intake might slightly increase the risk of venous thromboembolism (1.01; 95% CI 0.85-1.21) although the difference was not significant.
Alcohol consumption in low to moderate was associated with a lower risk of venous thromboembolism. Further studies are warranted to determine whether moderate alcohol consumption has a causal or protective role in venous thromboembolism.
Source: Zhang X, Chen X, Yang J, Du L, Zhou Y, Li K. Meta-analysis of alcohol consumption and venous thromboembolism. J Public Health (Oxf). 2022 Aug 25;44(3):477-498. .