Melanie Bloom the widow of journalist David Bloom has told the Huffington
Post about the tale of her husbands passing. She urges all of us to take
precautions and learn to prevent Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT). Melanie says
in her article that the cause of her husbands death was not due to old-age,
smoking or previous instances of venous disease. Rather David's death may be
attributed to long haul flights between New York and Kuwait (to cover the
Iraq war), long hours of immobility sitting cramped in army vehicles, and
also severe dehydration.
In the Huffington Post article Melanie says, "Also, David's autopsy revealed
Factor V Leiden, which is an inherited blood coagulation disorder. It is
important to note, however, that out of the 300,000 deaths that occur each
year, only a small percentage have a genetic component and having one risk
factor alone is not enough. It is the combination of risk factors - having
three or more - that can cause sudden death. The confluence of David's four
risk factors became the "perfect storm" for his fatal PE. David was only 39
years old, an avid tennis player, in excellent health, and in the prime of
his life. Had we only known about the risk factors, warning signs and
symptoms, perhaps David's death could have been prevented."
Sadly a large number of DVT cases go untreated or simply are unknown. This
is why Melanie Bloom wants to make DVT awareness an important factor in
healthcare. Millions of people each year fall victim to varicose veins, an
ailment which may lead to serious blood clots like DVT.
