TARRYTOWN, NY, February 14, 2002 -- Calling deep-vein thrombosis (DVT), or blood clots, an underestimated public health problem, the Council for Leadership On Thrombosis (CLOT) Awareness and Management announced its formation today to raise awareness, advance prevention and treatment, and reduce the dangers of DVT, a potentially life-threatening condition that affects approximately 2 million Americans per year.

Comprised of medical experts representing various specialties and affiliated with leading U.S. institutions, the Council plans to target both health care professionals and the general public with such major initiatives as a national DVT FREE screening program of 7,500 patients at more than 200 hospitals, and the ClotAlert Resource Center, a multifaceted campaign to educate consumers, physicians and health professionals about the risk factors and symptoms of DVT.

Deep-vein thrombosis represents one of the most commonly occurring and serious medical conditions, yet it has never received the same attention as heart attack or stroke, said Samuel Z. Goldhaber, MD, director of Venous Thromboembolism Research Group and Cardiac Centers Anticoagulation Service at Brigham and Womens Hospital in Boston, Mass., associate professor of medicine, Harvard Medical School, and co-chair of the Council for Leadership On Thrombosis Awareness and Management. The public is not nearly as educated about the potential health risk of DVT, nor is the public aware of the symptoms associated with blood clots. Our mission as a Council is to raise awareness of DVT so the public can recognize the symptoms and urgently seek medical help.

This is the first time that DVT has been portrayed as a true public health problem, said Victor Tapson, MD, associate professor, Division of Pulmonary Medicine, Department of
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Contact: Kristen Supchak
kristens@mcspr.com
908-234-9900
MCS
14-Feb-2002