Being aware of risk factors for DVT can save your life.

See your healthcare provider for more information about DVT risk factors and what you can do to prevent DVT. Information about DVT and treatment options is also available on a variety of websites and other media.

Are You at Risk for DVT?

Several situations can affect the circulatory system in the veins and result in a DVT, for example:

• Slow blood flow due to prolonged inactivity, e.g., people on bed rest during or after a surgical procedure or illness (longer than three days)
• People engaged in lengthy air or car travel where they are unable to walk or move around (longer than four hours)
• Severe injury, trauma, infection, or major medical procedure that results in inflammation of a vein’s lining
• Smoking is a key risk factor for developing DVT
• Sedentary lifestyle

There are also hereditary and medical conditions that can increase the risk of a person for developing a DVT, including:

• Family history of parents or siblings suffering from blood clots
• Age – DVT most often occurs in adults older than 40; elderly people are especially susceptible
• Fractures or breaks in a limb
• Obesity
• Cancers and their treatments, both of which may adversely affect the blood’s ability to clot
• Other serious illness such as congestive heart failure, heart attack, stroke, or sepsis
• Varicose veins
• Third trimester pregnancy and immediately following delivery
• Contraceptives/estrogen therapy (risk increases in smokers)
• Undiagnosed clotting disorder

Most cases of DVT affect the lower body but DVT can develop in the upper body as well, particularly if these risk factors are present:

• Presence of an in-dwelling catheter in an arm vein
• Having in implanted pacemaker or ICD
• Cancer tumor near a vein
• In athletes, vigorous and repetitive arm activities, e.g., lifting weights, swimming, and pitching baseballs