Blood clots protect us by stopping bleeding when we get cut or have an accident. But they can be dangerous when they form in the wrong places and prevent blood flow.
Blood clots can be hard to diagnose. They can cause a wide range of symptoms, depending on where they are in the body.
Symptoms
Blood clots are dangerous and can be life-threatening. You should know what symptoms to look for, and get treated right away.
You can’t see a blood clot, but you may feel pain that feels like an intense cramp, red or warm skin over the area where the clot is, and tenderness. You also may have trouble breathing or a chest or belly (abdomen) pain. If the clot breaks off and moves to your lungs, you may have a pulmonary embolism, which is very dangerous and can be fatal.
Blood clots are most likely to form when you aren’t moving much, such as after surgery or an accident, during pregnancy, or if you have a health condition that causes poor blood flow. You also are at higher risk of getting a blood clot if you smoke or take birth control pills that increase your chances of clotting. You should talk to your doctor about taking medicine to help prevent clots.
Diagnosis
A blood clot can keep oxygen from reaching your heart, lungs and brain. That’s serious because it can lead to life-threatening conditions, like heart attacks and stroke. Most people don’t have any symptoms when a clot is small and in a vein (vein thrombosis, or DVT). But if the clot breaks free and moves to your lungs, you might have sharp chest pain, a heavy feeling in your chest, shortness of breath, sweating, nausea, and a cough.
A doctor can diagnose a blood clot by asking about your symptoms, doing a physical exam and getting information about your medical history, including any risk factors for clotting. They may also use tests, like a venous ultrasound and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). In pregnancy, your provider will test you for clotting disorders before and during your prenatal care visits. Those can include ultrasound of the pelvis and a venous ultrasound of the legs. They’ll also ask about your family’s health and if you’ve ever had blood clots in the past.
Treatment
There are medicines to treat blood clots in the arms and legs (DVT) or in the lungs (PE). These drugs thin your blood so it can’t form clots. They can cause serious side effects, such as bleeding episodes. Your doctor will weigh the risks and benefits of these drugs for you.
Blood clots in the lungs or heart can cause very serious problems. These clots block blood flow and cut off oxygen to the tissues. This can lead to a heart attack or stroke.
Some people have a higher risk for blood clots. This includes people who have had a stroke or paralysis, or who have a condition that limits movement. Other factors that increase your risk include a hospital stay, surgery, or taking certain medications or treatments for cancer or other illnesses. Women who are pregnant or up to 3 months after giving birth are also at higher risk. So are women who use hormone therapy pills or birth control pills, and those who smoke or have chronic health conditions such as high blood pressure or diabetes.
Prevention
Blood clots are a serious problem and can be life-threatening. If a clot gets loose and travels to the lungs, it’s called pulmonary embolism (PE). You can reduce your chances of getting blood clots by controlling your risk factors.
About half of all blood clots happen during or soon after a hospital stay, especially for those on bed rest for a long time or surgery. Being immobile for long periods, like traveling by car or plane for 4 hours or more, also raises your risk. So does being overweight or having a history of blood clots.
Clots in the veins that carry blood back to the heart can cause pain (like a cramp), swelling, redness and warm skin where the clot is located. If a clot moves to the lungs, you might have trouble breathing, feel a heavy feeling in your chest or upper body, cough up blood and get a fever. You may also have a headache or dizziness.
