Obesity, sedentary lifestyle, and video games: The new thrombophilia cocktail in adolescents

Rates of venous thromboembolism have increased in the adolescent population over the last two decades, likely due to advanced diagnostics, increased use of central venous catheters, chronic medical conditions, obesity, and oral contraceptive use. Of these factors, a modifiable risk factor for adolescents is obesity. Sedentary lifestyle and prolonged immobilization are additional prothrombotic risk factors that are often associated with obesity. With ever‐increasing screen time, sedentary behavior has risen accordingly, especially among gamers. We present four cases of adolescents who developed life‐threatening venous thromboembolic events in the setting of obesity, sedentary lifestyle and/or immobilization, and prolonged video game use.

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