Hello! I have been a doctor for 21 years. My name is Georgy Olegovich Sapego. In this article, I will discuss how deep vein thrombosis in the legs is related to the weather.
All people have deep veins in their legs. Blood clots sometimes appear there. This is dangerous because such blood clots can break off, float away into the lungs and clog a large blood vessel. We have already discussed how this happens and what it leads to. Below is a link to the article.
A common story is that in summer, in the heat, we lose water, and the blood in the veins coagulates like egg white in a frying pan. This is not true. Veins feel better in summer. The blood in them often coagulates just in the cold season.
Clotting factors
In our blood, there is a constant struggle between the coagulation and anticoagulation systems. Such combat readiness is needed so that blood vessels at any time can quickly cover up any holes and prevent blood loss.
For some reason, it so happened that in winter the anti-coagulation system fails. There are fewer components. This increases the risk of thrombosis.
Some scientists say things are especially bad in September and October. Others point to January.
Infections
In winter, people are more likely to get sick, stay in hospitals and get many different complications. One of the complications is deep vein thrombosis of the legs. This may be due to the fact that the sick person lies and does not move. Or the infection itself causes such shifts in our blood that blood clots begin to appear in the veins.
Physical activity
In winter, people work less in the garden and play less in nature. In the cold season, many people prefer to sit still, wrapped in something warm. We have already discussed the story of thromboembolism from sitting in front of the TV. You can see this article at the link below. The less people move, the slower blood flows in their legs, the more chances that this blood will begin to clot.
Vasospasm
In the cold, blood vessels spasm, and blood flows poorly through them. Therefore, our hands and feet are freezing. The less blood flow, the more chances that blood clots will appear. It turns out that even if a person tries to move in the cold, he still cannot disperse the blood in his legs. The blood stagnates and coagulates.
Blood cells
Our blood cells don't like the cold. In winter, they become wild and begin to show all their harmful qualities. There are more red blood cells and leukocytes. From this, the blood thickens slightly.
Thrombocytes, which make blood clots, become especially aggressive in winter, grab blood cells floating nearby and collect them in one heap. It ends badly.
Activated platelets from smooth and beautiful turn into thorny and scary. They grow tentacles for themselves and become a living web in which everything gets stuck and entangled. This is how a blood clot turns out.
Vitamin D
Scientists from Sweden conducted a study in which they studied how often women have pulmonary embolism.
It turned out that women who received more ultraviolet radiation had about 30% less thromboembolism. They received ultraviolet light on trips abroad, in solariums, sunbathing in the summer and so on. The Swedes decided it was vitamin D. More of it is produced in the sun, and it somehow reduces the risk of blood clots.
It turns out that all these stories about blood thickening on hot days are not confirmed. The worst happens in winter.
Have you heard similar stories?
If you liked the article, then like it and subscribe to my channel. Check out my articles on related topics:
Thromboembolism from sitting in front of the TV
Deep vein thrombosis
How does pulmonary embolism manifest?
