John Heit, M.D., a cardiovascular physician at Mayo Clinic, received today a $1.1 million grant from the National Institutes of Health for its Genes, Environment and Health Initiative. Dr. Heit’s grant will be used to study the genome-wide association of venous thrombosis (blood clots in the veins).
Deep vein thrombosis is a blood clot in a vein — a blood vessel that returns oxygen-depleted blood to your heart. These clots are different from those that form in an artery — a blood vessel that carries oxygen-rich blood from your heart to the rest of your body. Risk factors for developing DVT include surgery, hospitalization for medical illness, major trauma (especially a long bone fracture of the leg), cancer and neurological disorders that cause leg weakness.
When a blood clot (thrombus) develops in a vein, the danger is that it will break loose and travel to your lungs, where it can become stuck. This serious condition is known as a pulmonary embolism and, in some cases, the result is sudden death. It’s estimated that each year about 1 million Americans have a DVT or pulmonary embolism episode; about one-third are fatal.
To read more about the NIH grant, click here: http://www.nih.gov/news/health/sep2008/nhgri-24.htm
Dr. Heit discusses the need to examine the role of genetics in DVT and the need for increased awareness of DVT:
