The 2016 World Thrombosis Day in Poland.

1021 a focused global awareness day on thrombosis, in 2014 ISTH founded the World Thrombosis Day (WTD), which takes place every year on October 13, the birthday of Rudolf Virchow. This scientist developed the concept of “thrombosis”, and was a pioneer in the pathophysiology of this disease. WTD places a global spotlight on thrombosis as an urgent and growing health problem, and fo­ cuses attention on the following aims: 1 Highlight the burden of disease (thrombo­ sis in general) and highlight the need for action, specifically underscoring the unrecognized threat and serious consequences (morbidity and mor­ tality) related to VTE and atrial fibrillation (AF). 2 Increase public awareness of the significance, risks, and signs and symptoms of thrombosis, specifically VTE and AF as an important cause of thromboembolic stroke. 3 Empower individuals to talk with their health­ care providers about their risk for thrombosis and appropriate prevention. Empower individu­ als to seek immediate medical attention if they have signs and symptoms. 4 Galvanize organizations in countries across the globe to conduct appropriate and aligned cam­ paigns in their countries and regions. 5 Begin the process of advocating for “systems of care” to properly prevent, diagnose, and treat VTE and AF. Nearly 675 organizations in 80 countries were participating in WTD in 2016, raising much­ ­needed visibility of the condition through spe­ cial events, educational forums, widespread me­ dia coverage, and social media. The Haemostasis Group of the Polish Society of Hematology and Transfusion Medicine, being a Global Partner of WTD, together with the Polish Society of Phlebol­ ogy, systematically implements initiatives dedi­ cated to the increase of the global as well as med­ ical staff awareness in the field of VTE preven­ tion, diagnosis, and treatment. One of this ini­ tiatives is an annually organized educative WTD symposium: this year the 3rd Conference “Venous Thromboembolism – an underestimated problem” was held on October 13, 2016, in Warsaw, Poland (www.chorobykrwi.pl). The discussions covered different aspects of VTE diagnosis and treatment, with much of the attention focused on direct oral anticoag­ ulants (DOACs), which directly inhibit either thrombin (dabigatran) or factor Xa (apixaban, To the Editor In 2012, the World Health As­ sembly set a global target to reduce premature deaths from noninfectious disease, including ve­ nous thromboembolism (VTE), by 25% by 2025. VTE, which encompasses deep vein thrombo­ sis (DVT) and pulmonary embolism (PE), causes significant morbidity and mortality in hospi­ talized and nonhospitalized patients. The esti­ mated total number of symptomatic VTE events (range based on probabilistic sensitivity analy­ sis) per annum within the 25 European Union (EU) countries with a population of 454.4 mil­ lion, was ~680 000 DVT events, and ~430 000 PE events. The number of VTE ­related deaths was estimated at ~540 000 across the EU per annum, which is more than double the number of com­ bined deaths due to AIDS, breast cancer, prostate cancer, and transport accidents.1 Almost three­ ­quarters of all VTE ­related deaths were from hospital ­acquired VTE, and according to available evidence, PE directly accounts for 5% to 10% of all in ­hospital deaths. Given the availability of effec­ tive VTE prophylaxis, many of these events and deaths could have been prevented. In the Unit­ ed States, of the more than 900 000 annual cas­ es of VTE, at least 300 000 deaths (directly or in­ directly) are related to VTE, and these numbers are expected to increase, because of population aging.2 The long ­term complications of VTE in­ clude recurrent thrombosis, postthrombotic syn­ drome, and chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension. The estimated total number of symptomatic VTE events in Poland was ~56 000 DVT cases, and ~35 000 PE cases per annum. The most comprehensive systematic review of the literature on the global disease burden caused by VTE, including over 8000 citations, was pub­ lished in 2014 by the International Society on Thrombosis and Haemostasis (ISTH), the lead­ ing worldwide not ­for ­profit organization ded­ icated to advancing the understanding, preven­ tion, diagnosis, and treatment of thrombotic and bleeding disorders.3 Studies from Western Europe, North America, Australia, and south­ ern Latin America (Argentina) yielded consis­ tent results, with annual incidence of VTE rates ranging from 0.75 to 2.69 per 1000 individu­ als in the population. The incidence increased to between 2 and 7 per 1000 among those aged 70 years or older. In response to requests for LETTER TO THE EDITOR