Venous and arterial thrombosis: Two aspects of the same disease?

Paolo Prandoni

Department of Cardiothoracic and Vascular Sciences, Thromboembolism Unit, University Hospital of Padua Padua, Italy

Abstract: An increasing body of evidence suggests the likelihood of a link between venous and arterial thrombosis. The two vascular complications share several risk factors, such as age, obesity, diabetes mellitus, blood hypertension, hypertriglyceridemia, and metabolic syndrome. Moreover, there are many examples of conditions accounting for both venous and arterial thrombosis, such as the antiphospholipid antibody syndrome, hyperhomocysteinemia, malignancies, infections, and the use of hormonal treatment. Finally, several recent studies have consistently shown that patients with venous thromboembolism are at a higher risk of arterial thrombotic complications than matched control individuals. We, therefore, speculate the two vascular complications are simultaneously triggered by biological stimuli responsible for activating coagulation and inflammatory pathways in both the arterial and the venous system. Future studies are needed to clarify the nature of this association, to assess its extent, and to evaluate its implications for clinical practice.

Keywords: venous thromboembolism, deep vein thrombosis, pulmonary embolism, myocardial infarction, ischemic stroke, atherosclerosis