Which of the following is a component of Virchow's triad?

• A. Atherosclerosis
• B. Hypertension
• C. Venous stasis
• D. Hyperlipidemia

Answer: (C)

Virchow's triad describes the factors that predispose to thrombosis: venous stasis, hypercoagulability, and endothelial injury. Venous stasis means slow or stagnant blood flow, which promotes clot formation because it slows the clearance of activated clotting factors, lets them accumulate near the endothelium, and reduces the shear forces that help prevent clotting. This is especially a risk in immobile individuals, after surgery, or with varicose veins, where venous blood pools and clotting can be triggered more easily. The other options don’t represent a triad component by themselves: atherosclerosis is an arterial disease driven by plaque, not one of the three coagulation-related factors; hypertension and hyperlipidemia are risk factors that can contribute to endothelial injury or vascular disease, but they are not the direct triad components.