Leisure sedentary behaviour increases the risk of venous thromboembolism: a Mendelian randomisation study

BACKGROUND: Venous thromboembolism (VTE) is a substantial contributor to the global burden of disease. Observational studies have suggested that leisure sedentary behaviours (LSB) are related to the risk of VTE; however, the causal role of LSB in VTE remains unclear. METHODS: Using data obtained from genome-wide association studies in the UK Biobank (N = 422,218), we identified 84, 21, and 4 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) related to sedentary television (TV) watching, computer use, and driving, respectively. These SNPs were employed as instrumental variables. Summary statistics for SNP-VTE associations was obtained from the FinnGen study (5,403 cases and 130,235 controls). Two-sample Mendelian randomisation (MR) analyses were performed using inverse-variance weighted (IVW), MR-Egger,weighted median, and weighted mode approaches. Sensitivity analyses were conducted to ensure robustness of the results. RESULTS: The main IVW approach demonstrated a positive association between the genetically predicted sedentary TV watching and the risk of VTE [odds ratio (OR):1.35, 95% confidence interval (CI):1.02—1.80, P = 0.039]. However, no significant association was observed for genetically predicted sedentary computer use or driving and VTE risk. The results from our series of sensitivity analyses, including Cochran’s Q test, MR-Egger intercept test, and MR-Pleiotropy RESidual Sum and Outlier method, further supported these findings. CONCLUSION: This study provides evidence of an association between genetically predicted sedentary TV watching and the risk of VTE. Further studies are required to elucidate the underlying causal mechanisms. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12872-023-03395-5.