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Deep vein thrombosis

How common is deep vein thrombosis?

It's hard to know exactly how many people get deep vein thrombosis (DVT). This is because many people don't know they have this condition, so they never get diagnosed.

One large summary of the research (called a

systematic reviews
A systematic review is a thorough look through published research on a particular topic. Only studies that have been carried out to a high standard are included. A systematic review may or may not include a meta-analysis, through which the results from individual studies are put together.

systematic review) found that every year about 1 in 5,000 people are diagnosed with DVT.

Source:
Fowkes FJI, Price JF, Fowkes FGR, et al.
Incidence of diagnosed deep vein thrombosis in the general population: systematic review.
European Journal of Vascular and Endovascular Surgery. 2003; 25: 1-5.

¹
The risk is even greater among older people. About 2 in 1,000 people age 70 are diagnosed with DVT every year. Most of the research has been done in Sweden and the United States.

Source:
Fowkes FJI, Price JF, Fowkes FGR, et al.
Incidence of diagnosed deep vein thrombosis in the general population: systematic review.
European Journal of Vascular and Endovascular Surgery. 2003; 25: 1-5.

¹
In the United States, between 60,000 and 200,000 people die each year from a blood clot that has traveled from a deep

veins
Veins are blood vessels that carry blood back to your heart after your blood has delivered oxygen and food to the tissues.

vein in their leg to their lung (this is called a

pulmonary embolism
A pulmonary embolism can give you chest pain, make you feel breathless and uncomfortable or make you breathe rapidly. A pulmonary embolism is dangerous and can kill you if it is not treated.

pulmonary embolism). That's more than the number who die each year from car accidents.

Source:
American Public Health Association.
Deep vein thrombosis: advancing awareness to protect patient lives.
February 2003. White paper from the Public Health Leadership Conference on Deep-Vein Thrombosis. Available at http://www.apha.org (accessed on 15 December 2008).

²
About 1 in 1,000 pregnant women get DVT or a pulmonary embolism. And about 2 in 1,000 women get these conditions after giving birth.

Source:
Maternal and Neonatal Haemostasis Working Party of the Haemostasis and Thrombosis Task Force.
Guidelines on the prevention, investigation and management of thrombosis associated with pregnancy.
Journal of Clinical Pathology. 1993; 46: 489-496.

³
About 1 in 10 people would get DVT after a major operation if they didn't have treatment to prevent it. And as many as 8 in 10 would possibly get it after having a hip or a knee replacement operation.

Source:
Verstraete M.
Prophylaxis of venous thromboembolism.
BMJ. 1997; 314: 123-125.

⁴

Sources for the information on this page:

Fowkes FJI, Price JF, Fowkes FGR, et al.Incidence of diagnosed deep vein thrombosis in the general population: systematic review.European Journal of Vascular and Endovascular Surgery. 2003; 25: 1-5.

American Public Health Association.Deep vein thrombosis: advancing awareness to protect patient lives.February 2003. White paper from the Public Health Leadership Conference on Deep-Vein Thrombosis. Available at http://www.apha.org (accessed on 15 December 2008).

Maternal and Neonatal Haemostasis Working Party of the Haemostasis and Thrombosis Task Force.Guidelines on the prevention, investigation and management of thrombosis associated with pregnancy.Journal of Clinical Pathology. 1993; 46: 489-496.

Verstraete M.Prophylaxis of venous thromboembolism.BMJ. 1997; 314: 123-125.

This information was last updated on Jan 09, 2009

This information is for educational use only, and is not a substitute for prompt professional medical advice. Readers should always consult a physician or other professional for advice and treatment.
© BMJ Publishing Group Limited 2009. All rights reserved.

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