Who gets DVT? Useful links.

There are a lot of risk factors for DVT that suggest that it's an affliction of the old, infirm and sedentary. (See this NIH page for example.)

However, when you consider the huge variety of risk factors, virtually anyone can be at risk at one time or another. Among the groups DVT can disproportionately affect are older people, tall people, unhealthy people, very fit people, people recovering from surgery, pregnant women, women on the pill or the patch, smokers, sedentary people, people immobilized temporarily from car, air or train travel, and anyone who happens to be sitting in one place for an extended period (e.g., at a computer). Bottom line: it's really something everyone needs to be aware of.

A great resource for anyone wanting to learn more about DVT is The Coalition to Prevent DVT. It's championed by Melanie Bloom, widow of David Bloom, who was the embedded NBC news journalist who died of a PE in Iraq in 2003. His PE was caused by DVT, in turn caused by hours upon hours in the specially designed, cramped tank that allowed him unprecedented access to the fighting.

The Coalition's site contains links to several other useful sites. For more on what happened to David Bloom, check out this excellent article from USA today, "David Bloom's Silent Killer," which provides a clear, plain-English explanation of what happened to Bloom, and a useful list of risk factors and symptoms.

One of the most surprising things about DVT risk that I've learned so far is that athletes may actually be at higher risk than the general population. Lower heart rate in particular seems to put the really fit at more risk. Combine that increased medical risk with the psychological tendency of athletes to work through pain and assume good health, and DVT becomes a very serious danger for the very fit. Some useful links about this:

"Hidden Danger: DVT in Endurance Athletes"
From graduatedcompression.com: "Listen to Your Body"
Blog by Tim Hentzel, a 27-year old athlete with DVT