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Health Conditions
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Deep Vein Thrombosis
What are the risk factors?
Conditions that cause slowing of blood flow or thickening of the blood place individuals at highest risk for deep vein thrombosis (DVT). You may be at risk to develop DVT if you have any of the following:
Trauma
- Surgery on the legs, hips, or knees
- Surgery on the pelvis or abdominal organs
- Badly broken leg bones
- Spinal cord injury
Hereditary Factors
- Disorders of blood clotting factors (Protein C, Protein S, Antithrombin III, Fibrinogen, Leiden factor V)
- Polycythemia vera (increased production of red blood cells, white blood cells and platelets by the bone marrow)
- Sickle cell anemia (inherited disease resulting in abnormally shaped red blood cells)
Diseases
- Cancer (chemotherapy or radiation can also increase your risk)
- Heart disease
- Lung disease
- Inflammatory bowel disease
- Systemic lupus erythematosus
- Bone marrow diseases (for example, granulocytic leukemia)
- Varicose veins
- Stroke or paralysis
Other
- Age (risk increases for persons aged 40 years and older)
- Immobility (for example, chronic bed rest) or paralysis
- Pregnancy and up to 1 year after childbirth
- Estrogen use (birth control or hormone replacement therapy)
- History of previous DVT or pulmonary embolism
- History of varicose veins
- Kidney transplant
- Obesity
- Spleen removal
- Chronic venous insufficiency (decreased blood flow)
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Note: The above information is intended to supplement, not substitute for, the expertise and judgment of your physician, pharmacist, or other healthcare professional. It is not intended to diagnose a health condition, but it can be used as a guide to help you decide if you should seek professional treatment or to help you learn more about your condition once it has been diagnosed.
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What are the risk factors?
