New research highlights the global burden of venous thromboembolism (VTE)

A new paper published in Nature Reviews Cardiology provides a comprehensive contemporary assessment of the global burden of venous thromboembolism (VTE), including deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and pulmonary embolism (PE). The paper, “Global burden of venous thromboembolism: incidence and outcome estimates of deep-vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism” is published by several authors, including lead author Behnood Bikdeli It estimates that approximately 1.6 million new cases of PE and 2.5 million new cases of DVT occurred worldwide in 2019, while also documenting substantial regional differences in incidence and outcomes.

VTE remains the third most common cause of vascular death worldwide, yet reliable data are available from only a limited number of countries, with particularly important gaps in regions such as sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia. The findings underscore that VTE is a significant global health challenge and that what we know about its impact may still represent only part of the picture.

The findings strongly reinforce the mission of World Thrombosis Day and its efforts to raise awareness about the risks, signs, symptoms, and treatment of blood clots. The research also builds on the landmark 2014 World Thrombosis Day review, “Thrombosis: a major contributor to the global disease burden,” which drew attention to the substantial burden of VTE while highlighting a critical limitation of the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) 2010 study in that VTE was not included as a cause of death and disability.

More than a decade later, the new review provides important new evidence that supports that earlier call for better data, while demonstrating how much more needs to be done to achieve consistent, comparable global surveillance. This research highlights that understanding the true burden of blood clots is essential to informing prevention, strengthening health systems and ensuring that thrombosis receives the attention and resources needed to save lives.

To read the full paper, click here.