Venous Thromboembolism: A Need for More Public Awareness and Research Into Mechanisms

Articles in this Series: Heit J. The epidemiology of venous thromboembolism in the community. Arterioscler Thromb Vasc Biol. 2008;28:370-372. Moll S. A clinical perspective of venous thromboemobolism. Arterioscler Thromb Vasc Biol. 2008;28:373-379. Gross P and Weitz J. New anticoagulants for treatment of venous thromboemobolism. Arterioscler Thromb Vasc Biol. 2008;28:380-386. Wakefield TW, Myers DD, Henke PK. Mechanisms of venous thrombosis and resolution. Arterioscler Thromb Vasc Biol. 2008;28:387-391. Link RP. National heart, lung, and blood institute programs for deep vein thrombosis. Arterioscler Thromb Vasc Biol. 2008;28:392-393. Beckman MG, Critchley SE, Hooper WC, Grant AM, Kulkarni R. CDC division of blood disorders: public health research activities in venous thromboembolism. Arterioscler Thromb Vasc Biol. 2008;28:394-395. Fenninger R. Patient advocacy to promote public awareness about thrombosis and thrombophilia. Arterioscler Thromb Vasc Biol. 2008;28:396-397. Hunt BJ. The awareness and politics of venous thromboembolism in the United Kingdom. Arterioscler Thromb Vasc Biol. 2008;28:398-399. In 2005, the US Senate declared March as deep vein thrombosis (DVT) awareness month in the United States to increase the American public’s understanding of deep vein thrombosis.1 This was triggered by the death of 39-yr-old David Bloom, a National Broadcasting Company (NBC) reporter who died on April 6, 2003 from a massive pulmonary embolism (PE), and the activities of his widow, Melanie Bloom.2 Two days before his death David Bloom had developed cramping leg pain that was not recognized as a DVT2—leg DVT was only found postmortem. He had several risk factors for DVT and PE (collectively called venous thromboembolism [VTE)]): (1) prolonged immobility (working and sleeping in a cramped position in a tank in the war in Iraq); (2) long distance flights between the US and Kuwait, (3) dehydration, and (4) postmortem the discovery that he was heterozygous for the prothrombotic variant of factor V called factor V …