Those with a family history of blood clots in the veins have more than double the risk of developing the condition than those without it, according to new research.

In the course of the study, Dutch scientists analyzed blood samples and family history and environmental risk factors from 1,605 patients who had experienced their first clot between 1999 and 2004.

They then compared the data with 2,159 control participants who were the same sex and age but had not had venous thrombosis.

“Both in those with and without genetic or environmental risk factors, family history remained associated with venous thrombosis,” the authors wrote in an article published in Archives of Internal Medicine.

“For those with a genetic and environmental risk factor and a positive family history, the risk was about 64-fold higher than others,” they added.

Environmental factors include surgical treatment, injury, a period of immobilization, oral contraceptives and obesity.

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