Time trends in pulmonary embolism: A matter of age and gender

Venous thromboembolism (VTE) is the third most common cardiovascular disease . Pulmonary embolism (PE) is potentially lethal and is the most serious manifestation of VTE . Notably, PE is the leading preventable cause of death in hospitalized patients , and is the third most common cardiovascular cause of death after myocardial infarction and stroke in Western world . Risk factors for VTE and PE include old age, surgery, immobilization, trauma, fractures, cancer, pregnancy, puerperium, oral contraceptive pill (OCP) use, and hormone replacement therapy (HRT) . Genetic factors are also important in VTE risk and family history is an important risk factor for VTE . The list of genes that are known to be involved in the pathogenesis of VTE is increasing . Importantly, one of the strongest risk factors for VTE is personal history of VTE, i.e. the risk of VTE recurrence after a first episode is high . Primary prevention of VTE is therefore desirable. Moreover, diagnosing PE is not always easy as symptoms may be unspecific and initially mild . In addition, although treatment of VTE with an anticoagulant or thrombolytic agent is often efficient, the price is an increased risk of bleeding . VTE and PE have therefore continued to be a challenge for physicians.
Source: Thrombosis Research - Category: Hematology Authors: Tags: Editorials Source Type: research