Award-Winning Actress and Singer Lainie Kazan Travels Across the Country Urging Americans to Understand the Signs, Symptoms and Risk Factors for Deep-Vein Thrombosis (DVT)
BRIDGEWATER, N.J., March 16 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ — Entertainer and artist, Lainie Kazan, spent her entire life devoted to performing on the big screen, television and stages across the country, and now she is traveling — to raise awareness about DVT blood clots, what she calls a “silent killer.” DVT affects up to two million people each year in the U.S. and its primary complication, pulmonary embolism (PE), claims up to 300,000 lives annually — more than breast cancer and AIDS combined.
Several years ago Lainie broke her foot and while recovering, developed deep-vein thrombosis (DVT) blood clots, which broke off and traveled to one of her lungs.
“I have been given many gifts. One is my health,” says Lainie Kazan. “Another is the ability to capture an audience’s attention with song and the ability to make people laugh. This time, I’m using it to talk to people about my personal experience with DVT, a potentially fatal condition — a silent killer.”
To help educate the public about the signs, symptoms and risk factors for DVT, Kazan joins the DVT Blood Clots: Know the Stats. Know Your Risk campaign. This year the educational program will travel to health/senior expos across the country beginning in March in support of DVT awareness month.
“Just like Lainie, most people don’t think they could develop DVT, so being aware of the signs and symptoms associated with DVT blood clots is crucial to help reduce the risk of developing one and its complications,” says Dr. Geno Merli, Professor of Medicine, Jefferson Medical College at Thomas Jefferson University, and Senior Vice President and Chief Medical Officer at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital.
To learn more about DVT symptoms and assess their risk, people should speak to their healthcare professional. In addition, they can visit the DVT booth in the cities below and meet Lainie Kazan at the expos below:
Event Location Expo Dates Kazan Appearance King 5 Health & Seattle, WA March 17-18 3/17/07, 1pm – 3pm Fitness Expo NBC10 Fit Fest Philadelphia, PA April 14-15 4/14/07, 1pm – 3pm 11th Annual City of Jacksonville, FL May 16-17 5/16/07, 1pm – 3pm Jacksonville Florida’s Senior Expo NBC6/Telemundo 51 Miami, FL May 19-20 5/19/07, 1pm – 3pm Health & Fitness Expo NBC4 & Telemundo 52 Health & Fitness Expo 2007 Los Angeles, CA August 11-12 8/11/07, 1pm – 3pm Life@50+ National Boston, MA September 6-8 9/7/07, 1pm – 3pm Event and Expo NBC5/Telemundo Health & Fitness Expo 2007 Chicago, IL September 22-23 9/22/07, 1pm – 3pm
DVT Blood Clots: Know The Stats. Know Your Risk. is brought to you by sanofi-aventis. Sanofi-aventis is committed to raising awareness of DVT through various programs.
About DVT and Pulmonary Embolism (PE)
Deep vein thrombosis (DVT) entails the formation of blood clots within deep veins of the body, most commonly occurring in the lower extremity. DVT occurs up in near 2 million individuals in the United States (US), each year. Pulmonary embolism, a serious complication of DVT, at times fatal, is responsible for the death of up to 300,000 people each year in the U.S. — more than breast cancer and AIDS combined. Yet, near three quarters of the American public is unaware of DVT and its complications, according to a national survey sponsored by the American Public Health Association.
The main problem underneath DVT involves a blockage of blood flow within the deep veins involved, owing to the formation of a blood clot within. Symptoms of acute leg pain and swelling may occur, as consequence of the blockade to blood flow. A PE occurs when part of the blood clot dislodges from its nest in the deep veins, and travels upstream by way of the blood flow, eventually reaching the lung, where it remains trapped. There ensues a blockade of the blood flow within the lungs. It interferes with the fresh oxygenation of blood within lungs, where naturally occurring within the body. There are many symptoms associated with PE, but the most common ones include shortness of breath, lateral chest pain worsened by deep breath in. The size and location of blood flow obstruction within the lungs determine in part the severity of the situation, in individual patients. Generally, severity goes up with the amount of blockade, and those who die from PE tend to have the largest of them all. There are well known risk factors to DVT, including prolonged immobility, major surgery, chronic medical ailments, cancer, age above 40 years, trauma, oral contraceptives, pregnancy and the post-partum.
The management of DVT includes prophylaxis, under certain risk conditions, and acute treatment in the patients in whom it occurred. The management of DVT involves several treatments including early mobilization, anti-embolism stockings or mechanical leg compression devices to enhance blood flow, and anticoagulants and/or blood-thinning drugs. It is important to consult your healthcare professional about the signs and symptoms associated with DVT.
For more information and a free risk assessment kit, visit http://www.dvt.net/ or call 1-866-MY-DVT-RISK.
About sanofi-aventis
Sanofi-aventis is one of the world’s leading pharmaceutical companies. Backed by a world-class R&D organization, sanofi-aventis is developing leading positions in seven major therapeutic areas: cardiovascular, thrombosis, oncology, metabolic diseases, central nervous system, internal medicine and vaccines. Sanofi-aventis is listed in Paris (EURONEXT: SAN) and in New York .
US.ENO.07.02.067 Contacts: Amy Ba Lisa Vanella Amy.ba@sanofi-aventis.com lisa.vanella@eurorscg.com 908-981-6563 516-481-1185
sanofi-aventis
CONTACT: Amy Ba of sanofi-aventis, Amy.ba@sanofi-aventis.com,+1-908-981-6563; or Lisa Vanella, lisa.vanella@eurorscg.com, +1-516-481-1185,for sanofi-aventis
Web site: http://www.sanofi-aventis.us/http://www.sanofi-aventis.com/http://www.dvt.net/
Company News On-Call: http://www.prnewswire.com/comp/232375.html