Snappy newsletters. Simple Facebook sharing. Spirited comments. Sweet features are waiting… GET THEM NOW!

Surgeon General Targets Killer Blood Clots

Easily treated 'silent' condition kills about 100,000 each year

By Harry Kimball, Newser Staff

Posted Sep 15, 2008 5:08 PM CDT

(Newser) – An easily treatable complication related to blood clots kills 100,000 Americans every year, but a new federal awareness campaign aims to change that, the AP reports. Although deep vein thrombosis affects up to 600,000 people a year, "I don't think most people understand that this is a serious medical problem or what can be done to prevent it," the acting surgeon general said at the announcement of a "call to action."

DVT involves the formation of large clots, usually in the legs. It is most common in sedentary situations, like long plane flights or bed rest, but is related to a number of other common conditions, Reuters reports. A cardiologist praised the government's effort, saying "DVT after all these years will finally get the national spotlight like cigarette smoking did in the mid-60s."

[Images (3)]

[Quotes (1)]

Acting U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Steven Galson. (AP Photo)

Alert your doctor if you have risk factors that make you susceptible to DVT. (AP Photo)

A blood clotting monitor. (AP Photo)

« Prev« Prev | Next »Next » Slideshow

It's a silent killer. It's hard to diagnose. I don't think most people understand that this is a serious medical problem or what can be done to prevent it. - Dr. Steven Galson, acting Surgeon General

« Prev« Prev | Next »Next » Slideshow

To report an error on this story, notify our editors.

More Newser Stories

Can a Size 18 Surgeon General Inspire a Fat Nation?

No: Benjamin can inspire those of above-average weight

(NEWSER) - Regina Benjamin is supremely qualified to be surgeon general—except on one count, argue some: “The anti-fat brigade wonder if a country plagued by obesity should have an above average-weight woman speaking to public health,” writes Frances Kissling in Salon. Yes, we should, Kissling says. Countless Americans are trying to gain dignity and lose weight, and “having a confident, big-bodied and big-spirited woman” as surgeon general can inspire them. More»

Cholesterol Drugs Cut Clot Risk

Large study looked at other possible drug benefits

(NEWSER) - Cholesterol-lowering drugs showed sizable effects on patients in a new study, but not only in the realm of lowering heart attack and stroke risk. The statins, which are sold under the brand name Crestor, also dramatically cut the occurrence of potentially deadly blood clots in healthy people, reports the New York Times. Some doctors viewed the findings with reservations, however. More»

Gupta's Right Doc for Political Prime Time

CNN's medicine man will help push preventive health care message, Park notes

(NEWSER) - Barack Obama's choice of CNN's health correspondent as his surgeon general is raising eyebrows, but the pick underlines Obama's plans to focus on preventive care, Alice Park writes in Time. The telegenic Sanjay Gupta, while lacking the government experience most surgeon generals have brought to the job, has anchored specials urging Americans to live healthier lives and seems like a natural choice to bring that message to the nation, Park notes. More»

To Fight Fat, Make Junk Food as Taboo as Tobacco

US must get a handle on public health crisis

(NEWSER) - A widespread vice has a negative effect on Americans' health, and it's up to the government to do something about it. That approach worked for tobacco, David Lazarus writes for the LA Times , and it can work for obesity, too. "The answer seems obvious," he argues. "If we want to protect ourselves from a deadly epidemic of heart disease, diabetes and other ailments, just as we've taken steps to protect ourselves from an epidemic of lung cancer, we need to act." More»

US Lags in Preventing Early Death

Obesity, smoking blamed as US falls behind in death rate before 60

(NEWSER) - America is lagging far behind other countries in preventing premature death among adults and now ranks behind Chile, Tunisia, and Peru, warn the authors of a new study. The researchers analyzed data on deaths before age 60 and found that over the last 20 years, the US has tumbled from 34th in female mortality and 41st in male to 49th for women and 45th for men, Reuters reports. Icelandic men and Cypriot women are the most likely to see their 60th birthdays. More»

NEWS FROM OUR PARTNERS

What is Newser?

Face it: there's too much news. At Newser, we choose the most thought-provoking and entertaining stories from hundreds of US and international sources and reduce them to a headline, picture, and two paragraphs. And we do it 24/7—you can come back morning, noon, night (and in between) for something new that matters. Read less, know more.

Learn more »

Partnering with: Slate

View Newser on the mobile website

Surgeon General Targets Killer Blood Clots