Hereditary and acquired thrombophilia

During the past decade knowledge about the etiology of venous thromboemboli sm has increased tremendously. Inherited and acquired risk factors for veno us thromboembolism are common in patients as well as in the general populat ion. Whether the presence of most of these risk factors has consequences fo r the management of symptomatic and asymptomatic individuals is not fully c lear at present. Therefore, while searching for new thrombophilic defects, it is crucial to determine the absolute risk for (recurrent) venous thrombo embolism as well as other clinical manifestations in carriers. However, ten tative guidelines for managing patients and their families are given in thi s review.