Get to know thrombosis, it may save your life: Dr. Douketis
Thrombosis Canada is marking World Thrombosis Day, Oct.3, 2017, by launching the #KNOWTHROMBOSIS campaign
to educate the public and healthcare professionals about the condition's risk factors, and the warning signs and symptoms.
An estimated that 50 per cent of the public has not heard of the leading cause of preventable cardiovascular death: Thrombosis.
Commonly known as blood clots, it causes more deaths in Canada than breast cancer, HIV and motor vehicle accidents combined.
The challenge is teaching people how to recognize when blood clots may be developing, according to Dr. James Douketis, President, Thrombosis Canada, and Director of Vascular Medicine, Staff Physician in Vascular Medicine and General Internal Medicine at St. Joseph's Healthcare Hamilton.
"Venous thromboembolism (also known as VTE or vein blood clots) is a significant public health problem, affecting about 100,000 Canadians and causing 10,000 deaths each year,” he said. "Increased awareness of vein blood clots is needed in an effort to improve the prevention and treatment of this condition and, ultimately, to save lives."
Related: 2016 World Thrombosis Day at St. Joe's
VTE is a condition in which blood clots form (most often) in the deep veins of the leg (known as deep vein thrombosis, or DVT). They can travel in the circulation and lodge in the lungs (known as pulmonary embolism, or PE).
One in Four Canadians ends up dying from causes related to blood clots and hospitalization is a top risk factor for VTE. Up to 60 per cent of all VTEs occur during, or after, hospitalization, making it the leading preventable cause of hospital death. Patients with decreased mobility, sometimes due to bed rest or recovery, or who experience blood vessel trauma due to surgery or other serious injury, are more likely to develop blood clots.
The warning signs of a deep vein thrombosis in the leg may include: pain, tenderness, swelling, warmth and redness. The warning signs of pulmonary embolism may include unexplained shortness of breath, rapid breathing, chest pain (may be worse with deep breathing), rapid heart rate, and light-headedness or passing out.
Signs and simptoms: