Every Five Minutes someone dies from a Blood
Clot
March 4, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/
-- Each year between 100,000-180,000
Americans die as the result of pulmonary
embolism, a complication from
blood clots in the lungs.
The Vascular Disease Foundation urges
Americans, especially women, to learn about
the risks of venous blood clots to help
prevent these deaths.
While men and women are at equal risk, the
risk for deep
vein thrombosis, or blood clots,
varies depending on where a woman is in her
lifecycle, her hormone levels, and if she
has a family history of clotting disorders.
DVT occurs when a blood clot forms in the
deep veins, usually of the pelvis or leg.
DVT can be dangerous in two ways.
First, DVT can be fatal if a blood clot
breaks free from the leg veins and travels
through the heart and lodges in the lung
arteries. This complication, called
pulmonary embolism (PE), causes between
100,000 and 180,000 deaths per year in the
United States.
Second, because blood clots can permanently
damage the veins, as many as half of DVT
survivors can experience long-term leg pain,
heaviness and swelling that can progress to
difficulty in walking, changes in skin color
and open leg sores (known as ulcers). This
condition, called post-thrombotic syndrome
(PTS) or "chronic venous insufficiency," can
significantly impair quality of life.
Certain individuals may be at greater risk
for developing DVT, but it can occur in
almost anyone.
Risk factors or triggering events that are
more likely to affect women include
pregnancy and the six to eight weeks after
giving birth, the use of birth control pills
or postmenopausal hormone replacement
therapy, cancer and its treatment, and major
surgery.
Anyone may be at risk for DVT but the more
risk factors you have, the greater your
chances are of developing it. Knowing
k,,
Recent major surgery (especially orthopedic
surgery) or injury or trauma
Personal history of a clotting disorder or
previous DVT
Increasing age
Cancer and their treatments
Family history of DVT
Extended bed rest
Obesity
Smoking
Prolonged sitting when traveling (longer
than 6 to 8 hours)
DVT and PE should be considered emergencies
that require immediate care if any of the
following symptoms are present:
Symptoms of Possible DVT:
Recent swelling of one leg
Unexplained pain or tenderness of one leg
Change in skin color or skin is hot to the
touch
Symptoms of Possible PE:
Recent or sudden shortness of breath
Sharp chest pain, especially when breathing
in
Coughing up blood or sudden collapse
"Every year, more people die from
preventable blood clots than from breast
cancer, AIDS and traffic accidents
combined," said Dr. Samuel
Goldhaber,
Chairman of the Venous Disease Coalition.
"It is so important to raise awareness about
DVT and PE because although blood clots are
common, few Americans have sufficient
knowledge about blood clots and how to
prevent them."
For more information about DVT, its risk
factors, signs and symptoms or to take a
free risk
assessment quiz, visit www.vdf.org
About the Vascular Disease Foundation
The Vascular Disease Foundation is a
national, nonprofit, public education
organization dedicated to fighting vascular
disease and improving the vascular health of
Americans by increasing awareness of the
prevention, diagnosis, and management of
vascular disease. It has been a leader in
disease awareness and advocacy through its
Peripheral Arterial Disease Coalition and
Venous Disease Coalition. For more
information, visit www.vdf.org or
call 888.VDF.4INFO (888.833.4463).
