Who faces higher pulmonary embolism risk?

Who faces a higher risk of pulmonary embolism is a different question from what causes one, though readers often search for both at once. This page answers only the question of risk.

The answer, with its qualifier

medlineplus.gov states that "Anyone can get a pulmonary embolism (PE), but certain things can raise your risk of PE", and the first item it gives is "Having surgery, especially joint replacement surgery." The wording opens by saying anyone can be affected, then names surgery as a factor that raises risk, with joint replacement surgery singled out.

The detail that separates risk from cause

A raised risk is not the same as a cause, and the source phrases it that way, using the words can raise your risk. Read the wording for what it says and no more. Surgery appears first among the things the source lists, which signals that the list continues beyond it.

Raising surgery and clot risk with your provider

If you are near Tinley Park or Mokena and have surgery ahead, raise the question of pulmonary embolism risk with your own provider. For wider reading on clot-related conditions, my.clevelandclinic.org offers a guide to deep vein thrombosis and an overview of venous disease.

The follow-up question the source raises is what else sits on that list of factors, which your provider can answer for your own case.