Genetic Risk of Blood Clots

This month, we welcome Dr. Christian Ruff for an overview on genetic risk and blood clots. Dr. Ruff is the Director of General Cardiology in the Cardiovascular Division at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, MA, and an Associate Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School. He is also a senior investigator in the Thrombolysis in Myocardial Infarction (TIMI) Study Group and serves the Director of the Genetics Core Laboratory and the Co-Chairman of the Clinical Events Committee. He is a member of NATF’s Board of Directors and Co-Chair of NATF’s Medical Advisory Board.

In this webinar, Dr. Ruff discusses: 

  • The role of blood clots in heart disease
  • The underlying genetic risk of diseases, including blood clots
  • Screening approaches for blood clot risk in the setting of genetic clotting disorders
  • The future of genetic risk prediction for blood clots

Key Takeaways:

  • Most patients with blood clots do not need genetic testing, as it usually will not change management.
  • Genetic testing for genetic clotting disorders is most useful in young patients with a strong family history of blood clots.
  • The benefit of screening asymptomatic family members is limited to decisions regarding the need for blood clot prevention after major surgery, and in providing guidance for women around birth control and pregnancy.
  • In the future, we will have much more powerful genetic tools (and other tools) to predict the risk of blood clots.

Related Articles