Deep Vein Thrombosis and Pulmonary Embolism in a Female Football Player with Calf Pain

Abstract

Although many health professionals believe that exercise protects the athletes against thrombosis, it is discussed whether elite athletes are exposed to many thrombogenic acquired risk factors such as: dehydration, hemoconcentration, repeated microtraumas and extended periods of immobilization during travel or injury. Additionally, the use of combined oral contraceptive (COC) may increases the risk of venous thrombosis fourfold in healthy women. We report a case of a 21-years-old professional female football athlete who developed deep vein thrombosis (DVT) followed by pulmonary embolism (PE). The outpatient hypercoagulability workup was negative and the case was associated to the use of COC pills. The patient was treated with rivaroxaban for 5 months, with complete resolution of the symptoms. There are a few cases in the literature of venous thromboembolism (VTE) involving athletes. Cases of VTE attributable to the use of COC are extremely rare in this population. The diagnosis of VTE in athletes is a challenge for physicians, because the symptoms may erroneously be confused with musculoskeletal complaints. Team physicians who work with female athletes should be alert to modifiable risk factors for VTE, as well as able to perform the early diagnosis and initial clinical management of this condition. DVT should be considered as a differential diagnosis of calf pain in women, especially in athletes, due to the well-defined increase on the risk of thrombosis with the use of COC pills.