How common is deep vein thrombosis?

Deep vein thrombosis (DVT) is a blood clot that forms in a vein deep in the body. A pulmonary embolism occurs when a blood clot breaks loose and travels through the bloodstream to the lungs, where it can block a lung artery – causing damage to the lungs or other organs by depriving them of oxygen.

DVT and pulmonary embolism affect up to 600,000 Americans each year – a number that continues to rise as the U.S. population ages – and contribute to at least 100,000 deaths annually.

• Each year, 600,000 people in the United States are newly diagnosed with DVT.
• 200,000 people die annually due to complications of DVT.
• One out of every 100 cases of DVT is fatal due to development of a pulmonary embolism -- a blood clot that travels to the lungs and blocks blood flow.
• Early diagnosis and treatment of DVT can decrease the risk of developing a life-threatening pulmonary embolism to less than 1%
• Medications designed to prevent blood from clotting during surgery are routine for some surgical procedures that increase DVT risk, such as orthopedic surgery and some general surgeries. Without these medications, as many as 50 % of all patients undergoing an orthopedic surgical procedure and up to 25% of general surgery patients would develop DVT.
• A person's likelihood of developing DVT depends on his or her lifestyle, medical profile, and risk factors.

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