Concept of hypercoagulability: a review of its development, clinical application, and recent progress.

There exist multiple clinical conditions, situations, and diseases in which persons appear to be at increased risk for thromboembolic phenomena, such as venous thrombosis and pulmonary embolus. Within this group of conditions, situations, or diseases, some are more clearly linked to thromboembolism that others. Similarly, for some, there exist clear biochemical reasons to support a proposed causal mechanism. A categorization of these risk factors has been constructed, taking into account both the apparent association of the risk factor with thromboembolism and the credibility of the proposed mechanism. Forty-eight factors have been so stratified. It is predicted that both more factors will be identified and especially that mechanisms proposed will strengthen as this area of medicine is further investigated.