The extent of awareness of southern Jordanian people to thedifference between venous thrombosis and arterial thrombosis / El grado de concienciación de los habitantes del sur de Jordania sobre la diferencia entre trombosis venosa y trombosis arterial

ABSTRACT

Objective: Venous thrombosis (VTE) and arterial thrombosis are two different diseases. Although they differ in causes, types, and treatment, they share many risk factors. Many people are not able to differentiate between them. So assessing the awareness of people toward these two diseases and determining the variables that affect their awareness was the aim of the study. Methods: This is a cross-sectional validated questionnaire which was conducted on social media. It targeted the southern Jordanian public above 18 years between October and December 2022. Results: A total of 630 people participated in the current study. Only 42.2% knew the cause of arterial thrombosis compared to 58.7% in case of venous thrombosis. More than half (63.2%) of the participants knew that there is a difference between venous and arterial thrombosis. DVT (36.8%) and PE (23%) were correctly identified as types of VTE, while only myocardial infarction was identified as a type of arterial thrombosis by 52.2% of respondents. About 69.5% and 80.2% of respondents think that venous and arterial thrombosis are fatal, respectively. Regarding the socio-demographic variables that affect the awareness of the public, old age, high educational level, working, and earning at least 500 JD per month were significantly associated with better awareness of the study population about venous and arterial thrombosis with a p-value of 0.0027, < 0.001, 0.0017, and < 0.001 respectively. Conclusion: The current study reveals that there is a lack of awareness about VTE and arterial thrombosis and the difference between them among the southern Jordanian public. VTE and arterial thrombosis are preventable diseases, so more attention should be given by increasing the educational campaign and the initiatives of public health about the difference between them in terms of signs and symptoms, risk factors, and complications.(AU)