Recently, the differences in age or sex of deep vein thrombosis (DVT) patients have been widely debated. However, close analyses of the differences in limb, age and sex of Chinese DVT patients have been scarcely reported. The purpose of this research is to study the differences in limb, age and sex of DVT patients.

A total of 783 consecutive DVT patients were retrospectively reviewed. Patients with an acute presentation of DVT were diagnosed by means of compression ultrasonography or venography. Clinical characteristics and provoked risk factors were analyzed.

There were three frequency peaks including two smaller peaks at age 20–24 and 70–74 years, and the largest peak at age 45–59 years. The most significant risk factors affecting different age groups were as follows: pregnancy/puerperium for age ≤39; fracture and hysterectomy for age 40–64; fracture and malignancy for age ≥65. DVT frequency rate provoked by malignancy was higher in right DVT than left DVT (15.8% vs. 4.6%; p < 0.001). Left DVT was more common than right DVT (582 vs. 158). Left DVT tended to occur in females (male:female, 40.5%:59.5%), and right DVT in males (male:female, 74.7%:25.3%). DVT provoked by pregnancy/puerperium (56/63, 88.9%) or hysterectomy (27/30, 90.0%) was mostly located in left limb.

It is necessary to pay more attention to thromboprophylaxis for patients with the risk factors of pregnancy/puerperium, hysterectomy, fracture and malignancy, especially those over the age of 65. And further research into the cause of limb, age and sex differences in DVT occurrence is needed.