An Association between Atherosclerosis and Venous Thrombosis.
Italian researcher Dr. Paolo Prandoni and his colleagues conducted a study on 299 patients with deep venous thrombosis of the legs and 150 healthy people (et al., 2003). The researchers performed ultrasound examinations on the sample population to produce images of the carotid artery, the main artery in the brain. The researchers found that the incidence of plaques, the hallmark sign of atherosclerosis, were more than twice as prevalent in people with thrombosis as they were in healthy individuals. Prandoni, (et al., 2003) conclude: “There is an association between atherosclerotic disease and spontaneous venous thrombosis. Atherosclerosis may induce venous thrombosis, or the two conditions may share common risk factors” (2).
Atherosclerosis is known to cause a thickening of the blood which leads to clot formations that can block blood vessels. While more research needs conducted to validate Prandoni and company’s hypotheses, if their conclusions are correct the clinical implications will be enormous. Preventing thrombosis could be achieved by similar lifestyle changes that slow the process of atherosclerosis. Further, in patients with spontaneous deepening thromboembolism, ultrasounds may reveal the presence of atherosclerosis which will allow physicians to control risk factors.
The research was a case-control study designed to evaluate the possible relationship between asymptomatic carotid-wall plaques and acute spontaneous deep venous thrombosis. All patients in the study were evaluated by ultrasonography as suffering from symptomatic proximal-vein thrombosis. These patients were selected from those admitted to institute where Prandoni and colleagues work. Control subjects were selected randomly from patients admitted for reasons not related to venous thromboembolism or atherosclerosis. Statistics were analyzed using the Kruskal-Wallis test for c...