The Importance of Understanding Thrombosis
Thrombosis Canada is dedicated to education and building awareness about thrombosis. Issues around blood clots and COVID-19 have made our work more relevant than ever.
The COVID-19 pandemic has negatively affected the health of millions of Canadians relating to COVID-19 and other areas of health. One of the unexpected consequences has been an increased awareness of thrombosis (blood clots), because thrombosis is very common in conjunction with COVID-19 infection. As a consequence, more Canadians are aware of the threat of thrombosis to their health than they were a year ago.
What is thrombosis?
Thrombosis can occur in various parts of the body:
Deep vein thrombosis (DVT), in the leg Pulmonary embolism (PE), in the lung
Cerebral venous sinus thrombosis (CVST), in the venous sinuses of the brain, which prevents blood from draining from the brain
Portal vein thrombosis (PVT), the blood vessel that brings blood to the liver from the intestines.
Approximately 1.3 out of 1,000 Canadians per year will develop thrombosis. The most common symptoms are leg tenderness or swelling, chest pain, light-headedness, and breathlessness. Recognizing the signs and symptoms of thrombosis can help you to seek timely medical assistance. Our website has short videos and many publications to help you learn more about thrombosis and understand your risks. Learn more at thrombosiscanada.ca.
Thrombosis and COVID-19
COVID-19 has introduced a new concern for Canadians around thrombosis. Everyone should know that there's an increased risk of thrombosis associated with COVID-19, as we learned early in the pandemic. That's one of the reasons why we strongly recommend that all Canadians get vaccinated.
Learn More
Increased awareness means that more Canadians are reviewing our education materials, including our CLOTS resources (thrombosiscanada.ca/ clots). Please consider donating to help us to continue our work at thrombosiscanada.ca/donate.