Venous thromboembolism (VTE), which encompasses deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and/or pulmonary embolism (PE), is a frequent, severe, potentially lethal, treatable, acute disease. Its occurrence is relatively rare in young people and more frequent in elderly subjects, with an incidence in the general population of developed countries estimated to be 1–2 per 1000 persons per year [1, 2]. Venous thromboembolism is the third most common cardiovascular disease, after myocardial infarction and stroke [3]. The disease is associated with a substantially elevated risk of dying in the first year after diagnosis, especially due to the presence of cancer or other serious baseline conditions. It has, however, been recently shown, during a follow-up of 30 years, that patients with VTE also have a long-term increased risk of dying [4].