Resolution Designates March for DVT & PE Awareness, Spotlighting Major Health Risks

This resolution officially designates March as "Deep Vein Thrombosis and Pulmonary Embolism Awareness Month." It's essentially a public service announcement on a national scale, aiming to shine a light on serious conditions often overlooked. Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT) is when a blood clot forms deep in your veins, usually a leg, and a Pulmonary Embolism (PE) happens if that clot breaks free and travels to your lungs – which can be fatal. The resolution notes these aren't rare issues, affecting up to 900,000 Americans yearly and leading to as many as 100,000 deaths, while racking up an estimated $10 billion in medical costs.

Putting Prevention on the Calendar

So, what does an "awareness month" actually do? Think of it as putting DVT and PE on the public health radar each March. The goal is to get more people talking and learning about prevention and recognizing the signs. The resolution highlights that these clots are often preventable. Key risk factors mentioned include major surgery, immobility (like long travel or bed rest), cancer, pregnancy, age, and a family history. By designating March, the hope is that more individuals will learn to spot potential symptoms – like unexplained leg pain or swelling for DVT, or sudden shortness of breath or chest pain for PE – and understand when to seek medical help. While this resolution doesn't create new programs or allocate funds, it leverages the calendar to encourage education and potentially save lives through increased public knowledge.