MARCH WAS DVT AWARENESS MONTH

Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT) AwarenessMonth was first designated in 2004 afterthe death of David Bloom, a reporterembedded with US forces in Iraq. Bloomdeveloped a pulmonary embolus (PE) anddied while riding in a tank in Iraq inFebruary 2003. DVT Awareness Month issponsored by the Coalition to PreventDVT. Members of the coalition representnationally known medical societies,patient advocacy groups, and other publichealth organizations.

The mission of the coalition is toreduce the immediate and long-termdangers of DVT and PE, which togethercomprise one of the nation's leadingcauses of death. The group educates thepublic, health care professionals, andpolicy makers about risk factors, symptoms,and signs associated with DVT, aswell as identifying evidence-based measuresto prevent morbidity and mortalityfrom DVT and PE.

The American Heart Association estimatesthat up to 2 million Americans areaffected by these conditions each year.Of those who develop PE, as many as200,000 will die. Patients and health careprofessionals can find more informationat www.preventdvt.org.

Dr. Garrett is a clinical pharmacistpractitioner at Cornerstone HealthCare in High Point, NC.