Prethrombotic, prothrombotic, thrombophilic states, hypercoagulable state, thrombophilia etc.: semantics should be respected even in medical papers.

The study of prothrombotic or thrombophilic states have drawn considerable attention during the past two decades. This was the result of the increasing number of thrombotic events, both arterial and venous reported all over the world but especially in the developed countries. This wealth of studies and papers have not always respected the semantical significance of the various terms used, namely prethrombotic state, hypercoagulable state, thrombophilic or prothrombotic state, thrombophilia, susceptibility to thrombosis and procoagulant state. This review is an attempt to adhere to a correct Semantic format in order to avoid confusion and misinterpretations. This is of fundamental importance in order to avoid the wrong attribution of a thrombosis to a hypercoagulable or a prethrombotic state.