African journal of medicine and medical sciences
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Venous thromboembolism (VTE) remains a fatal complication and a frequent cause of death among patients hospitalized for remediable and often minor conditions. Various prevalence and associated risk factors of VTE have been documented in different parts of the world. It has been reported that the prevalence of VTE in Africans and Asians is not as pronounced as it is in the Caucasians. ⋯ VTE is a preventable and treatable condition, especially where haematological services, intensive care management and good pre-emptive physiotherapy are available. Thus, mortality from this condition should be considered as a cause for concern even in a poorly funded health care delivery system such as in Africa. It is therefore recommended that appropriate physical and pharmacological methods of prophylaxis should be prescribed according to the degree of risk of VTE in individual patients.