Genetic Susceptibility to Venous Thrombosis

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Abstract
The annual incidence of venous thrombosis, one of the leading causes of mortality and morbidity, increases from 1 per 100,000 during childhood to 1 per 100 in old age.1 In this article we will discuss conditions involving a genetic predisposition to venous thrombosis. The clinical relevance of this topic has increased with new evidence of the high prevalence of mutant genes that increase susceptibility to thrombosis.Of the three mechanisms of thrombosis defined by Virchow in the 19th century — vessel-wall injury, stasis, and “changes in the composition of blood” (hypercoagulability) — the last two predominate in venous thrombosis. Hypercoagulability . . .