An Association between Atherosclerosis and Venous Thrombosis

Patients with atherosclerotic disease may have generalized activation of the coagulation system. This study used ultrasonography to quantify carotid-artery atherosclerosis in patients with deep venous thrombosis and control subjects. Patients with deep venous thrombosis had a significantly higher incidence of carotid-artery disease than controls. There may be a generalized activation of coagulation. Venous thromboembolism is a serious and potentially fatal disease affecting approximately 2 persons per 1000 each year in Western countries. 1 – 5 Although considerable progress has been made in the diagnosis and treatment of this disorder, many questions remain concerning its pathogenesis. Classic risk factors for venous thrombosis include cancer, surgery, immobilization, fractures, paralysis, pregnancy, childbirth, and use of estrogens. 6 – 8 These conditions not only predispose apparently normal people to thrombosis but also are likely to trigger episodes in patients with prothrombotic tendencies. 9 Although acquired or inherited risk factors potentially responsible for this disorder are identifiable in most patients, the disease . . .