Seasonal variations in the incidence of idiopathic lower extremity deep vein thrombosis on the territory of South Serbia

Background: The role of seasons as a predisposing factor for the development of deep vein thrombosis (DVT) varies and is word-wide unevenly distrubuted. The aim of the present study was to investigate seasonal variations in incidence of idiopatic deep vein thrombosis of the leg as well as the relationship between the season and location of the thrombus, age and gender on the territory of South Serbia. Methods: During the two year period between May 2009 and April 2011, inclusive, 170 consecutive patients were diagnosed as having idiopathic lower extremity DVT at the Vascular surgery clinic "Clinical center of Nis", Serbia. Seasons were divided to cold (October-March) and warm (April-September) seasons. Results: Different distributions of patients with lower extremity DVT per season and per months were found. During the cold season incidence of DVT showed a peak in January with a monthly incidence of 24 (14.12%) cases. During the cold and warm seasons the above-knee DVT was diagnosed more frequently than the below-knee DVT. Conclusion: The results of present study demonstrated a seasonal pattern in the occurrence of idiopathic lower extremity DVT on the territory of South Serbia, which was more common during the cold season (October-March) with a peak in January. These findings could help investigators and clinicians understand the pathophysiology of DVT and also facilitate health care planning.