Medical community wants to raise awareness of preventable blood clots
March 15th, 2010 by Jennifer Walker-Journey
Deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and pulmonary embolism (PE) are growing public health problems that affect an estimated 1 million Americans each year and kill as many as 300,000, according to a special supplement to the American Journal of Preventive Medicine (AJPM), a publication of the American College of Preventative Medicine (ACPM) and the Association for Prevention Teaching and Research (APTR). The supplement, Blood Disorders in Public Health – Making the Connection, was released last week in conjunction with the National Conference on Blood Disorders in Public Health in Atlanta, Ga.
DVT is a common disorder, but it is highly preventable, says Gary Raskob, Ph.D. and lead author of the AJPM Paper. “That’s why spreading the word about who’s at risk and the steps one can take to prevent these dangerous clots is so important,” he said.
The paper recommends strengthening surveillance of DVT and PE, and increasing public awareness of risk factors through a national campaign. For example, recent studies have identified that people who travel by airplane are at three times greater risk of developing DVT or PE. The campaign would advise air travelers to reduce their risk by staying active on the plane and staying hydrated by drinking plenty of water and avoiding alcoholic beverages.
Other risk factors include surgery or trauma, hospitalization for medical illness, cancer, obesity, smoking, pregnancy, age over 60, and a family history of blood clots. Oral contraceptives can also put users at greater risk of blood clots. To date, 59 deaths have been linked to the popular birth control pill, Yaz, also known as Yasmin or Ocella.
Symptoms of DVT include sudden pain, swelling and tenderness. PE symptoms include chest pain, shortness of breath, and sweating. For more information about these blood clotting disorders, visit the American Society of Hematology Web site at www.BloodTheVitalConnection.org.