Rockville, MD - October 10, 2014 - (iNewswire)
The National Blood Clot Alliance (NBCA), in anticipation of World Thrombosis Day (WTD) this coming Monday, October 13, is urging the American public to participate in this important global initiative to increase awareness about blood clots by asking themselves one simple question: Am I at Risk?
“The primary driver for NBCA’s work stems from our ongoing challenge to increase recognition of blood clots,” explains Randy Fenninger, NBCA CEO, who also is a blood clot survivor. “Central to NBCA’s mission is the need to equip Americans with the knowledge to ask their doctors proactively if they might be at risk for a blood clot. We welcome the opportunity to stand with more than 175 World Thrombosis Day partners to help amplify these important public health messages in the U.S. and abroad.”
Up to 900,000 people in the United States each year are affected by blood clots in their legs (deep vein thrombosis or DVT) and blood clots in their lungs (pulmonary embolism or PE). Annually, up to 300,000 Americans – or one person in this country every six minutes – will die due to a blood clot in their lung. Blood clots do not discriminate. They affect men, women and children, regardless of race, ethnicity, and age. Also, DVT/PE is not just limited to the elderly or infirmed. Blood clots strike even the fittest athletes.
“The year after competing in the Olympics, I never felt stronger,” says 31-year-old Rebekah Bradford Plath, a member of the 2010 US Olympic Speedskating team, who was in training again in 2012 when she suffered blood clots in both of her lungs. “In my case, several key risk factors combined to literally bring me to my knees. I was very lucky to survive.
“Today, I’m committed to sharing my story, and helping people better understand the risk factors connected to blood clots and the signs and symptoms of DVT and PE,” she adds. Blood clots pose an Olympic-sized public health challenge, and it will take a similarly significant response to address this challenge around the globe. World Thrombosis Day creates an important platform for DVT/PE, and in collaboration with NBCA I encourage everyone to become their own health advocate and look into their potential risk for blood clots and to educate themselves about the signs and symptoms of DVT/PE.”
Risk Factors
Some of the primary risk factors for blood clots include:
- Hospitalization is the single most important risk factor for developing deadly blood clots. People who are hospitalized (≥ three or more days) for acute illness have more than a ten-fold increased risk of developing a blood clot.
- Cancer is the second leading medical cause of death in the U.S. Without steps to prevent blood clots, 40 to 80 percent of cancer patients who undergo surgery will develop a blood clot in their leg and 4 to 10 percent will develop a blood clot in their lung.
- Pregnancy and estrogen-based birth control or hormone replacement therapy (HRT) also may pose a risk for some women. For young women who are neither pregnant nor use estrogen-based birth control, the risk of a blood clot is low: 1 in 5,000 annually. By comparison, studies show that the use of estrogen-based birth control can increase a woman's risk of a blood clot to 1 in 1,000 per year. Pregnancy also increases the risk of forming a clot to 1 in 340 per year, and this risk increases to 1 in 30 in the first month after giving birth. DVT/PE remains the leading cause of maternal mortality. HRT also has been linked to blood clots in women, with studies showing that women undergoing HRT are twice as likely to develop a blood clot than those who are not.
More information about blood clot risks can be found on NBCA’s website, www.stoptheclot.org, and by using NBCA’s Stop the Clot® Stoplight risk evaluation tool found there. If people think that they may be at risk for a blood clot, they should talk to their healthcare provider so they can together manage their health as effectively as possible. Information about the signs and symptoms of DVT/PE are housed on NBCA’s website too.
The Global Burden of DVT/PE
The centerpiece of global WTD activities this year is a recently completed scientific review of the global impact of DVT/PE. Published this month in the Journal of Thrombosis and Haemostasis, as well as four other leading thrombosis journals simultaneously worldwide, the results of this review show that DVT/PE is a major contributor to the global burden of disease across high- middle- and low-income regions, with the worldwide incidence of DVT/PE ranging from 0.75 to 2.7 cases per 1,000 people.
“The impact of DVT/PE in this country and around the world as a leading cause of premature death and disability requires urgent action,” says Gary Raskob, PhD, Dean of the College of Public Health, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, and Chairman of both NBCA’s Medical & Scientific Advisory Board and the WTD Steering Committee.
According to Dr. Raskob, who also is a corresponding author of this scientific review, it will be important to combine global resources to increase awareness at all levels – personal, healthcare systems and providers, and policy makers – to effectively reduce the formidable health burden of DVT/PE.
“The collaboration of our WTD partners worldwide demonstrates the tremendous potential we have to join forces globally and to help prevent blood clots and save lives,” Dr. Raskob adds.
No-Cost Patient Webinar for DVT/PE Patients
In recognition of WTD, NBCA also is partnering with the Anticoagulation Forum and Clot Connect as joint sponsors of an important online webinar for people affected by DVT/PE. This one-hour, no cost webinar takes place Monday, October 13, 2014, at 1:00 pm EDT, and with a simple online registration process: Registration.
NBCA is a non-profit, voluntary health organization dedicated to advancing the prevention, early diagnosis and successful treatment of life-threatening blood clots, such as deep vein thrombosis, pulmonary embolism, and clot-provoked stroke. The organization works on behalf of people who may be susceptible to blood clots, including, but not limited to, people with clotting disorders, atrial fibrillation, cancer, traumatic injury, and risks related to surgery, lengthy immobility, child birth and birth control. NBCA accomplishes its mission through programs that build public awareness, educate patients and healthcare professionals, and promote supportive public and private sector policy.
For more information about blood clots and about NBCA, visit www.stoptheclot.org, or follow NBCA on www.twitter.com/stoptheclot or www.facebook.com/stoptheclot.
Contact Info:
National Blood Clot Alliance
Press Release Service by I-Newswire
Original Source: National Blood Clot Alliance Urges Americans to Know Their Blood Clot Risk
