The risk for psychiatric disorders in offspring from thrombosis-prone pedigrees in Sweden: a nationwide family study

Abstract

Background

Psychiatric disorders have been associated with venous thromboembolism (VTE). However, to our knowledge, no nationwide study has examined the familial association between VTE and psychiatric disorders.

Objectives

We took a pedigree-based approach and examined the risk of psychiatric disorders in offspring from extended pedigrees according to the densities of VTE in pedigrees.

Methods

This was a Swedish national family study. We identified a total of 482,184 Swedish pedigrees from the Swedish Multigeneration Register containing a mean of 14.2 parents, aunts/uncles, grandparents, and cousins of a core full-sibship that we termed the pedigree offspring (n = 751,060). We then derived 8 empirical classes of these pedigrees based on the density of cases of VTE. The risk was determined in offspring for psychiatric disorders as a function of VTE density in their pedigrees. Diagnoses of VTE and psychiatric disorders (F00-F69) were determined according to the International Classification of Diseases codes in Swedish registers. All results were Bonferroni corrected.

Results

Higher VTE density, especially for females in pedigrees, was significantly but weakly associated in the offspring with a higher risk of psychiatric disorders. Moreover, VTE density in pedigrees was significantly associated in the offspring with substance abuse disorders, mood (affective) disorders, neurotic, stress-related, and somatoform disorders, behavioral syndromes associated with psychological disturbances and physical factors, personality disorders of adult personality and behavior, depression, and anxiety disorders.

Conclusion

Offspring of pedigrees with a high density of VTE, especially for females, are slightly disadvantaged regarding several psychiatric disorders. VTE shares familial susceptibility, albeit weak, with several psychiatric disorders.