Dr. Thomas Wakefield, chief of the section of vascular surgery of the University of Michigan, says blood clots in the legs and pelvis, called DVTs -- short for deep-vein thrombosis -- are preventable.

"DVTs have been overlooked as a public health threat for many decades, but they're taking center stage now in the healthcare community, and we hope individuals will also become more aware," Wakefield says in a statement.

University of Michigan researchers led by Dr. Peter Henke, released findings, published in the Journal of Vascular Surgery, on how low-molecular weight heparin helped vein wall recovery in mice.

Wakefield, Henke and Daniel Myers, also published a review on the mechanisms of vein clot formation and resolution in the journal Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis and Vascular Biology. The paper provides evidence that inflammation plays a role in the formation of DVTs -- a finding that challenges previous thinking about their origin.

Hospitalized patients are one of the highest-risk groups for blood clots, but cancer patients, hip-replacement patients, pregnant women, the obese and anyone who sits a lot can be at risk, the researchers say.