Clinical significance of recurrent venous thromboembolism

• Autor(a) principal: Labropoulos,Nicos
• Data de Publicação: 2010
• Outros Autores: Spentzouris,Georgios, Sobreira,Marcone Lima
• Tipo de documento: Artigo
• Idioma: eng
• Título da fonte: Jornal Vascular Brasileiro (Online)
• Texto Completo: http://old.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S1677-54492010000200010
• topic: Recurrent venous thromboembolism; postthrombotic syndrome; pulmonary hypertension; anticoagulation

Recurrent venous thromboembolism is a significant problem leading to increased morbidity and mortality. It has a high impact on patients' quality of life and imposes a great financial burden on society. Cumulative recurrence has been reported as 40% at 10 years, while the chance of developing postthrombotic signs and symptoms in the lower extremities almost quadruples when ipsilateral. There is also a higher chance of developing pulmonary hypertension. Important factors for recurrence are unprovoked episodes of deep vein thrombosis, malignancy and older age. The evidence for other factors is controversial. Accurate diagnosis and treatment tailored to the patients' history, thrombotic events and risk factors are necessary to optimize management and prevent recurrence.