ABSTRACT
Venous thromboembolism, which encompasses, besides deep vein thrombosis, acute pulmonary embolism (PE), is the third most frequent cardiovascular disease and an important contributor to global disease burden. Studies from Western Europe, North America, Australia, and Southern Latin America have yielded consistent results with annual incidences ranging between 75 and 269 cases per 100,000 individuals in the population; among individuals 70 years of age or more, the reported incidence was as high as 700 per 100,000 (1).
