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(Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis, and Vascular Biology. 2008;28:392.)
© 2008 American Heart Association, Inc.

Venous Thromboembolism: Mechanisms, Treatment and Public Awareness

National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute Programs for Deep Vein Thrombosis

Rebecca P. Link

From the Division of Blood Diseases and Resources, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Md.

Correspondence to Rebecca Link, the Division of Blood Diseases and Resources, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892. E-mail linkr@nhlbi.nih.gov

An extract of the first 250 words of the full text is provided, because this article has no abstract.

The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) supports research in deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and pulmonary embolism (PE), common medical events that, if not diagnosed and treated effectively, may cause significant disability and death. DVT and PE are thought to result from a combination of genetic, environmental, and behavioral risk factors and are associated with many medical conditions. They occur as a major complication of surgeries, severe trauma, chronic illnesses, hormone therapy, pregnancy, obesity, and advanced age. Thus, venous thromboembolism (VTE) affects many and involves a variety of health care specialties.

In May 2006, NHLBI cosponsored the Surgeon General’s Workshop on Deep Vein Thrombosis which focused attention on this serious public health issue. The workshop provided an opportunity for scientific experts to share recent research advances and to identify areas that would advance DVT and PE research. Key topics discussed at the workshop included epidemiology, risk factors, diagnosis, prevention, and therapy. Among the research and education priorities cited by the workshop attendees were identification of biomarkers to predict primary or recurrent DVT and postthrombotic syndrome, determination of efficacy of specific therapies in selected risk populations (ie, pediatric, elderly, obese), and development of programs for training physicians and increasing public awareness.¹

There is a long history of NHLBI support for research related to VTE. In 1986 NHLBI sponsored a NIH consensus development conference on Prevention of Venous Thrombosis and Pulmonary Embolism.² Since that conference there have been major advances in the understanding the basic mechanisms of thrombus formation and dissolution, . . . [Full Text of this Article]