# Functional Characterization of Children with Chronic Venous Thromboembolic Disease

> **NIH NIH R01** · UT SOUTHWESTERN MEDICAL CENTER · 2022 · $702,056

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY
Venous thrombosis affects approximately 1 in 200 hospitalized children. Important symptoms after deep
venous thrombosis (DVT) involving lower extremities and pulmonary embolism (PE) include shortness of
breath and exercise intolerance resulting in a decreased quality of life. The mechanisms of these symptoms
are unknown. Although patients with venous thrombosis with excise intolerance and exertional dyspnea are
generally considered to be deconditioned, our preliminary data challenge this conventional wisdom. Thus, it is
presently unclear if exercise intolerance or exertional dyspnea are due to cardiovascular, pulmonary, or limb-
muscle dysfunction and whether acquired risk-factors such as deconditioning or obesity contribute to these
problems. If we find evidence of deconditioning causing or complicating exercise intolerance or dyspnea,
exercise training would be dramatically beneficial; for obesity-related changes in respiratory mechanics,
aggressive weight loss measures may be necessary before exercise training can be tolerated. In this
application, we will utilize state-of-the-art measures, including 7 Tesla magnetic resonance imaging, at rest and
during exercise to investigate central and peripheral mechanisms of these common symptoms. Aim 1 will
characterize cardiac limitations; Aim 2, pulmonary and Aim 3, skeletal muscle metabolic aberrations following
DVT and PE at 3 and 12 months post-diagnosis in pediatric patients following diagnosis. Our long-term
objective is to provide novel and clinically relevant results that could potentially alter approaches for preventing
and treating exercise intolerance and dyspnea and improving the quality of life for pediatric patients with VTE.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10406183
- **Project number:** 5R01HL153963-02
- **Recipient organization:** UT SOUTHWESTERN MEDICAL CENTER
- **Principal Investigator:** Ayesha Zia
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2022
- **Award amount:** $702,056
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2021-09-01 → 2025-06-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10406183

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10406183, Functional Characterization of Children with Chronic Venous Thromboembolic Disease (5R01HL153963-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-25 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10406183. Licensed CC0.

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