The U.S. Surgeon General's office has said that far too many Americans are dying from dangerous blood clots called deep vein thrombosis which often resemble simple leg pain. Affecting up to 600,000 Americans a year, these are easy to prevent and treat if identified in time. Acting Surgeon General, Dr. Steven Galson announcing the new campaign on Monday, said, "It's a silent killer. It's hard to diagnose. I don't think most people understand that this is a serious medical problem or what can be done to prevent it."

The Surgeon General and the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality released the report and guide which aimed at helping people identify and improve the often-deadly clots which they estimated afflicted between 350,000 and 600,000 Americans every year and at least 100,000 of them die as a result. A deep vein thrombosis, or DVT, forms in large veins, often the leg or the groin and can quickly kill if it moves up to the lungs, causing a  pulmonary embolism, or PE. People who are at a high risk for these clots include those who have recently had surgery, take birth control pills, have cancer, have suffered a bad bruise or a broken bone as well as those who have been immobile during long trips. The risk increases if you are over the age of 65, are obese or smoke as well as if you have a genetic condition.

 Swelling, skin redness, soreness or a warm spot on the arm or leg, breathing difficulties, chest pain, a strange cough or fast heartbeat are some of the symptoms associated with the problem. Wearing loose-fitting clothes, raising their legs up above heart level from time to time, exercising, wearing compression stockings and cutting down on salt are some of the common recommendations.

"These timely, easy-to-read guides provide valuable information on preventing and treating dangerous blood clots," said Dr. Galson in a statement. Some famous people who have suffered from these clots are Vice President Dick Cheney who suffered one after a long trip last year and NBC correspondent David Bloom who died of one in 2003 while covering the invasion of Iraq after spending days inside a tank.

Speaking at a meeting of the Venous Disease Coalition on Monday Galson said, "The number of deaths attributable to blood clots is like having an entire city like Cambridge (Mass.) wiped out every year, over and over again. Yet these clots "are preventable and treatable."

People who suffer from clots often do not recognize the serious nature it could take and don’t go to the doctor or the emergency room even if they have symptoms of a clot. Doctors too feels Galson, are often ill informed and studies suggest that a third of patients who need protective blood thinners when they enter the hospital for major surgery don't get them.

Dr. Samuel Goldhaber, chairman of the Venous Disease Coalition and a cardiologist at Boston's Brigham & Women's Hospital said, "DVT after all these years will finally get the national spotlight like cigarette smoking did in the mid-60s," he said.