Why are blood clots dangerous and why do they occur? What factors can provoke the formation of blood clots in the body? How to tell if you have a blood clot: 7 signs of a blood clot
There has been a lot of talk about blood clots lately. It's all to blame for the coronavirus vaccination, or rather, one of its side reactions. In the spring, information appeared on the Internet that after the Oxford AstraZeneca vaccination several people died of thromboembolism. This is a condition when a blood clot formed in the body breaks off and goes into the lungs. Later, the information was denied, but the fear of people remained. Many people refuse vaccinations for fear of thrombosis. We found 15 risk factors that increase a person's tendency to form blood clots. We also prepared a checklist that will help you understand that you already have a blood clot.
What is thrombosis and how dangerous it is
Blood clots can cause death / istockphoto.com
Thrombosis is the formation of blood clots in the cavity of the vessels and heart. This is "technically" very similar to what happens during wound healing. But with thrombosis, clots are not formed outside, "sealing" the rupture of the vessel, but inside. Thus, preventing the continuous flow of blood in a certain part of the body. Depending on the size of the blood clot and on the place where it was formed, the consequences can be very different, ranging from numbness of the limb to death.
The most dangerous situations are when a large blood clot blocks the movement of blood in the arteries that feed the heart and brain. In the first case, a person gets a myocardial infarction, in the second, a stroke occurs. Another risky case when a blood clot blocks the pulmonary artery is a pulmonary embolism (the same complication that is still attributed to coronavirus vaccines).
How to tell if you are prone to thrombosis
Varicose veins are one of the risk factors for blood clots / istockphoto.com
There can be several main reasons for the development of thrombosis:
- fragility and fragility of blood vessels (at the slightest damage to the vascular wall, the body automatically starts the process of blood clotting)
- slowing down blood flow (with varicose veins, regular compression of veins, forced prolonged inactivity - for example, after surgery)
- physiological thickening of the blood (due to dehydration, autoimmune diseases and taking certain medications)
- thrombophilia (an inherited disorder characterized by increased blood clotting)
- leukemia and other oncological diseases of the blood, which cause the formation of tumors of the hematopoietic and lymphoid tissues
Based on these reasons, scientists have identified 15 factors that increase a person's tendency to form blood clots - in general or at certain periods of life. If you see yourself in a risk group, it makes sense to take an INR test (helps determine the level of blood clotting) and take a D-dimer test (shows if there are microclots in the blood).
Factors that increase the likelihood of developing thrombosis:
- age over 40 years
- obesity (body mass index over 30)
- operations and subsequent treatment in a hospital (in a supine position)
- injuries and fractures of the legs, due to which a person is immobilized
- bed rest for more than 3 days
- regular and long flights
- pregnancy and the postpartum period
- taking hormonal drugs and oral contraceptives
- phlebeurysm
- oncology and related chemotherapy
- chronic heart failure
- diseases with severe lung damage
- suffered a stroke
- severe infectious diseases
- previous venous thrombosis or genetic predisposition (if close relatives have the disease)
Signs that you have a blood clot
Sharp throbbing pain in the leg may indicate thrombosis / istockphoto.com
Blood clots can form in any place where there are blood vessels - in other words, in all parts of our body. And the main danger of this condition is that it cannot be diagnosed externally. Micro clots in the arteries often dissolve on their own, while the person does not experience any discomfort. However, there are body signals that are worth paying attention to.
Swelling of the limb. If a blood clot forms in a blood vessel in an arm or leg, that limb may begin to swell. In this case, the swelling can be local (only in the place where the blood clot is located) or spread to the entire limb. If there is no history of physical injury (bruising, bump, or fall), a blood clot may be the most likely cause of the swelling.
Convulsions. Regular cramps, with which the limb is "cramped", indicate circulatory disorders. So the likelihood of blood clots there is pretty high.
Sudden sharp pain in the limb. This is often the only symptom that indicates deep vein thrombosis in the legs. The thrombus causes acute circulatory disorders, which is manifested by severe throbbing pain in the calf or thigh muscle.
Skin discoloration. A blood clot blocks the flow of blood to certain areas of the body. Because of this, in one place the vessels will be overfilled, and in another, on the contrary, they will be depleted. This can be noticeable "by eye": in one area of the diseased limb there may be intense redness, and next to it there will be a pale code with a bluish tinge.
Change in skin temperature. The same with body temperature: in the place of excess blood accumulation, the skin will be hot and it can be noticeably itchy. But where blood does not flow due to a blood clot, the skin becomes dry and cold.
Limited mobility and limb weakness. If, in addition to the symptoms listed above, you feel that you can hardly move your arm or leg, this means that the blood clot is quite large and directly affects the functionality of the body.
Sudden bouts of nausea and vomiting. If a blood clot forms in the internal organs, it is even more difficult to "trace" it. After all, the symptoms are often completely unexpected. For example, sudden and unwarranted bouts of nausea may indicate that you have problems with the blood supply to your intestines. If nausea is pumped by vomiting, it does not bring any investment to the body, and you continue to vomit - this may be a symptom of mesenteric thrombosis.
You will also be interested to read:
5 symptoms of deep vein thrombosis: a life-saving diagnosis
Doctors named the first signs of a blood clot in the vessels
