For the past 8 years, every October 13 has been commemorated as World Thrombosis Day. It was an initiative of the International Society on Thrombosis and Haemostasis (ISTH). This date was created to improve global awareness of the disease and to disseminate what there is to know about how to prevent it.
Thrombosis is one of the leading causes of death worldwide
This disease is responsible for one in four deaths that occur daily across the globe. It is the leading cause of cardiovascular death. Thrombosis can cause different health problems:
- Acute myocardial infarction.
- Stroke stroke.
- Venous troboembolism VTE.
It consists of the formation of a clot inside a blood vessel. For its prevention, millions of people in the world are medicated with anticoagulants. Being responsible for acute myocardial infarctions, treatment must be strictly followed.
In Spain alone, about 60 thousand patients a year are diagnosed in the first episode of thrombosis. Also among these patients are those who suffer a pulmonary embolism due to thrombosis. Pulmonary embolisms cause more deaths than heart attacks in Spain.
World Thrombosis Day seeks to raise awareness of the disease
For this reason a day was created to raise awareness about the prevention of this disease. Effective diagnosis and subsequent treatment is the best way to improve the patient’s quality of life.
Blood vessels are thin tubular structures that carry blood. When a clot forms inside them, the bloodstream is slowed or blocked. The clot can then move or enter a vital organ.
Different kinds of thrombosis
There are two kinds of thrombosis, arterial and venous. As the name suggests, they differ from each other by occurring within an artery or in a vein. Both can be caused by self-acquired factors as well as heredity. For this reason, doctors evaluate the patient by inquiring about this information:
- The patient’s medical history.
- Age.
- Forms and habits of daily life.
- Medicines you take.
To complete the diagnosis they will do some tests which are a blood test, an ultrasound of the arms and legs to look for a VTE and a chest CT scan to identify a possible pulmonary embolism.
Awareness should be raised about thrombosis because it is a very serious disease. It is potentially fatal and a specialist should be consulted at the first sign of symptoms. Each patient will receive appropriate treatment on a case-by-case basis. However, anticoagulant drugs are usually the most commonly prescribed.
They prevent clots from forming and also dissolve any clots that may have formed. However, it is a disease that can be treated through prevention and early consultation. A better quality of life requires it.
