Diagnosing thrombophilia

Thrombophilia testing isn't routinely carried out on everyone who has a blood clot.

Testing for inherited thrombophilia in people with venous thrombosis isn't usually needed because the results don't usually influence clinical decisions.

For example, decisions regarding the length of treatment should be made by taking into consideration whether or not venous thrombosis was provoked, whether other risk factors are present, and the risk of bleeding due to treatment with anticoagulants, regardless of whether inherited thrombophilia is present or not.

Thrombophilia is diagnosed by having blood tests weeks or months after your blood clot. The tests look for anticoagulant deficiencies. Before having the tests, you'll usually have to wait until you've stopped taking anticoagulant medicine, such as warfarin, for four to six weeks.

If the blood test results indicate you have thrombophilia, you may be referred to a haematologist (a specialist in diagnosing and treating blood disorders).

Content supplied by the NHS Website

Medically Reviewed by a doctor on 21 Dec 2018