Abstract
Venous thromboembolism (VTE) represents a significant global health challenge, ranking
as the third leading cause of cardiovascular-related mortality. VTE pervades diverse
clinical specialties, posing substantial risks to patient well-being and imposing
considerable economic strains on health care systems. While platelets have long been
recognized as pivotal players in hemostasis, emerging evidence underscores their multifaceted
immune functions and their capacity to engage in crosstalk with other immune cells,
such as neutrophils, thereby fostering immune-related thrombosis. Notably, investigations
have elucidated the pivotal role of platelets in the pathogenesis of VTE. This review
provides a comprehensive overview of platelet physiology, encompassing their activation,
secretion dynamics, and implications in VTE. Moreover, it delineates the impact of
platelet interactions with various immune cells on the initiation and progression
of VTE, explores the correlation between platelet-related laboratory markers and VTE,
and elucidates the role of platelets in thrombosis regression.
Keywords
platelets - immune cells - venous thromboembolism - hemostasis - immune thrombosis
- thrombosis regression