Pattern of deep venous thrombosis in Jeddah area, western Saudi Arabia.

Little is known about the pattern of Deep Vein Thrombosis in Saudi Arabia. Over 4 year period, 62 cases with strong evidence of venous thrombosis were studied in King Abdulaziz University and King Fahad Hospitals to learn the pattern of deep vein thrombosis in Jeddah, Western Saudi Arabia. There were 32 females and 30 males. The mean age of the group was 36.0 years (range 6-90 years). One or more risk factors was/were detected in 40 patients. Among these 14 factors, age more than 50 years, obesity, vasculitis, malignancy and postpartum were the common factors encountered. In other 22 patients, no risk factor was found. However, extensive laboratory search diagnosed 9 rare disorders out of these 22 cases. Antithrombin III, protein C, protein S deficiencies in 5, 2, 1 patients, consecutively. The last patient had significantly shortened PTT. The other 13 (21.0%) patients were considered real idiopathic DVT. Extremities were involved in 54 patients compared to only 8 cases with inferior vena cava or visceral thrombosis. The upper limb was affected in only 10 patients unlike the lower limb which was more commonly affected n = 37.