The Coalition to Prevent DVT.  Red and White DVT Awareness Ribbon.

This is the red and white ribbon for DVT awareness. DVT stands for Deep Vein Thrombosis and is a disease in which blood clots form in veins, usually deep in the leg. Today is the end of the first DVT Awareness month.

It may seem odd to see a post about this here, but DVT affects me personally. George Mudd was a victim of DVT. While I don't have formal autopsy results, family and friends believe that a blood clot (which George was being treated for) in George's leg travelled to his lungs and killed him. My mother and my uncle (her brother) have had blood clots in their legs. Doctors have advised my brother and myself on this situation as it can have genetic causes.

One of my co-workers was suprised that George died the way he did, but according to the Coalition to Prevent DVT, up to 600,000 people are hospitalized for DVT each year. The Coalition also states that up to 200,000 people die each year from pulmonary embolism, a complication of DVT where blood clots travel to the lungs.

DVT is a serious disease. While are lives are finite, we should seek to take care of the bodies (Jack, you need to listen to this sermonette) God has entrusted us with. The Coalition to Prevent DVT has a risk assessment form (PDF, 69 kB). Get it, do it, and then talk to your doctor.